Darkness or Dawn
by SoulEaterDark
Summary: Sequel to OoO One year since Kairi & Namine have moved to Disney, & everything seems perfect. Ansem's dead & since Kairi now lives with Sora she's no longer plagued by Darkness... Until something strange lurches from the Realms & suddenly "They" return.
1. It Begins

_:D_

_After a lot of thought over it, I decided a sequel to Oathkeeper or Oblivion would be nifty. I've still got a lot of characters to use up. ;) If you're one of my older reviewers- Thank you for coming back! I appreciate it, and you're in for a story even better than before. _

_Any newer people, well, howdy! ^_^ Chances are you won't need to read the first story to get this one, though it never hurt to look it over. You might be a little lost in a few places, but other than that....shouldn't be that bad. :) _

_Disclaimer for whole story- I don't own Kingdom Hearts, plain and simple. _

_Enjoy the ~sort of~ prologue!  
_

* * *

~It begins.~

Familiar lantern eyes that are, at the same time, so very unfamiliar stare through the nothingness. There is no feeling, no thought, only a simple need and that need makes It continue to stare out, to look. There is no hope, only one simple need.

It looks away for a moment and down at the hands attached to It's arms. It is strange, new, unused to it's body and movements. It presses It's fingertips together evenly and makes a point, slowly opens each hand up again and looks down at fingerprints. There is no crease in the center of It's palm, no lifeline. Taking a breath of stale air, It presses one palm to It's chest, just over where the heart would be.

It looks back up through the nothingness and sees an endless abyss of strange and nonexistent things. Between Light and Dark, it lingers. It waits.

It sees.

A flash of ethereal Darkness, like a shock or a wave. It beckons and the It, the new born, moves swiftly. It's brain is new but thought is an old habit. It reaches with those creaseless palms and wraps It's hands around the string of Dark, tugging and _twisting _and-

It is free.

No longer an It but existing outside of the realm of nonexistence, he stares through the Darkness and begins to walk. The name 'Ansem' lingers in his thoughts but he dismisses it. He glances down at his chest again, dim and tan, a pearl scar jagged and etched against him. An "X" over his (_non_)heart.

All around him new, previously non-existing things are lurching through gaps in the Darkness.

* * *

_:'D *so happy with how this turned out*_

_Leave a review on your way out please, comments, crit, I appreciate all! :)  
_


	2. Taken

_:D_

_I'm so happy so many of my reviewers came back! Hi guys! :D_

_Sorry, I was gonna update yesterday but I went to the movies like, right after school and by the time I got home it was really late, plus I basically rewrote this chapter from scratch since the first version I had was crap. _

_I hope you like iiiiit~ _

_I made it longer for you guys XD Enjoy!  
_

_**

* * *

Darkness or Dawn**_

------

Naminé smiled, clasping her hands behind her back as she leaned around her easel, paintbrush set down on the ledge and her latest picture already starting to dry. She sighed and brushed her knuckles against her cheek, pushing hair out of her face as she leaned over and inhaled the sweet scent of the flowers. A streak of red paint made its way across her face but she didn't notice. The air was so clean and the garden was beautiful enough to just…draw her from whatever was going on around her. She often got lost in her imagination in the garden, which would explain the dozens of sketches, paintings and drawings she had strewn about her and Riku's room that depicted every angle of every flower she found beautiful, which was most of them.

Naminé looked up towards the sky, clear as it was, and thought of her parents and how they were. She stood by a rose bush, her mother's favorite. Her eyes lit up with new inspiration and she turned back to the easel, grabbing the filled out picture and setting it on the ground before taking a new, clean sheet of canvas and getting it set up. She raised her paintbrush just as a familiar voice called out to her.

"_Naminé!" _she jumped and dropped the paintbrush, turning just as her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her back, her heels dragging in the grass.

She glanced up at him curiously, "Riku?" Way to the Dawn was already in his hand, angled over her protectively. He narrowed his eyes and pulled her behind himself, Naminé looked back to where she had stood a moment before and found a small circular portal to darkness had formed just to the right of her easel. Black smoke rose from it as if it were steaming, twisting and curling in the air as though beckoning them.

A small black claw pushed its way out of the portal, stretching in the air before slamming back to the ground, anchoring the Neoshadow up. Its head hung back as it freed itself, and as it kicked its legs out of the closing door to the realm of darkness its head fell forward and yellow eyes stared silently at Naminé and Riku.

Riku didn't wait. He flew forward, stabbed at the Heartless and smirked as it was speared on his Keyblade. He watched it as it twitched and flakes of Darkness peeled off its skin, a minute later and it was gone completely. Riku dismissed his Keyblade and turned back to Naminé.

"Are you hurt?" she shook her head as he walked back over to her. He pulled her close, kissed the top of her head and brushed the drying paint on her cheek away with his thumb.

"Thank you." She rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, returning his embrace as she felt him bury his lips against her hair and smile.

"Anytime." Ever since Ansem had kidnapped her and almost turned her into a Heartless, Riku had been as protective of her as possible. He always checked up on her, and if he even sensed the tiniest bit of Darkness he would make sure she was all right, and that nothing was near her.

Riku held her a little tighter and Naminé let out a soft, contented sigh.

As much as she missed her parents, she knew she was happy there and that she didn't belong anywhere else.

----

Kairi and Sora were leaning against the wall surrounding a tall, stained glass window, arms crossed and eyes scanning over the landscape set out before them. Kairi smiled, her face colored in hues of blue and red by the glass.

She looked over at Sora and asked, "So…do you have work today?"

Sora shrugged, "Maybe. The King will let us know soon if we do."

After Kairi and Naminé had gotten settled in to Disney, the boys had explained that at least every other day they had "work" to do, little missions Mickey would send them on just to check up on the worlds and to wipe out any growing Heartless populations. Sometimes they were back within the hour, other times it was all day. They never really could tell how long it would take to get home, so they spent as much time as they could with each other. There was also the added possibility that they could get hurt.

Kairi tried not to think about that part so much.

"So what do you want to do then?" She tilted her head to the side and let it rest on the corner of the window frame, Sora smiled,

"Want to see if Riku and Naminé are up for a walk around the towns?"

Kairi grinned, "Yeah, come on." She pulled herself away from the window and as Sora followed her he reached out and grabbed her hand.

It only took them a few minutes to find Riku and Naminé. It was pretty well known that wherever Naminé was, Riku would be (just like with Sora and Kairi) and Naminé loved the garden. The pictures she showed Kairi made that blatantly obvious.

When Sora and Kairi found their way into the garden, they couldn't help but laugh as they found Naminé and Riku hovering around her easel, a paintbrush in Riku's hand as Naminé's own guided him along. As they got closer, they could hear Naminé giggling while Riku shook his head.

"Hey," Naminé jumped and Riku looked over his shoulder as Sora and Kairi walked towards them,

"Hey." He turned back to Naminé, "I think I'm done for now."

Naminé grinned and let go of his hand, "Okay." She watched him set the paintbrush down on the ledge of the easel, and then looked back to Sora and Kairi, "Everything all right?"

Kairi nodded, "Want to go to the towns?"

Naminé grinned, "Sure." Riku nodded and smiled as Naminé laced her arm around his and held his hand, her fingers cold against his. The four of them turned towards the way Sora and Kairi had come in through the garden, heading for the nearest exit out of the garden.

A few moments later, while they talked about nothing in particular, Riku stopped, his eyes narrowing. Naminé looked up at him and Sora and Kairi turned back to him.

Sora asked, "What is it?"

Riku pulled his arm free from Naminé and summoned his Keyblade, Sora followed. "Darkness. Something big is coming through." He put his hand on Naminé's shoulder, "Go hide with Kairi."

Naminé nodded and ran to her sister, the two of them heading towards one of the sculpted bushes that they usually hid behind when Heartless attacked while they were in the garden.

Sora looked back at Riku, "How big?"

Riku shook his head, "Big." As if on cue, a portal of darkness opened directly over their heads. They jumped out of the way just as the Heartless flew through, claws trailing the ground. All in all, it looked like an oversized Wyvern, same strange wings and razor teeth. It was easily four or five times the size of one of the Wyverns though. It was blue, all different shades, and it reared back in the air and threw it's head back as it screeched.

Sora glanced at Riku, "Ready?" Riku nodded and as they ran towards it, weapons raised, two more of the overgrown Heartless dove in their way. Riku managed to just barely get out of the way, but the other two had been aiming at Sora, it seemed, because as one of them grabbed his left arm with it's claw the other got his leg.

"Sora!" Riku moved to try and help his friend, who was now stabbing the one holding his arm repeatedly, but the first Heartless got in his way. He let out a yell and jumped, slashing the Heartless across its face. It fell out of the air and stumbled as its claws scraped clumsily at the grass. Riku took the chance to run at it again, jumping one last time as he sunk Way to the Dawn through the roof of its head. He pulled back quickly as it already started to fade, looking back to where Sora was.

The Heartless holding Sora's arm had fallen, now screeching as it writhed on the ground, wings flapping and smacking the ground desperately. The one holding Sora's leg was still going strong though, and as Riku started in on it, it opened another portal in the sky and was gone in seconds.

Riku skidded to a halt, his eyes growing wide. He blinked, looked back down at the dying Heartless on the ground and then turned to where Kairi and Naminé were hiding behind the bushes. They both stood there, eyes wide and a hand over their mouths.

Riku walked around the dying Heartless and to the spot in the grass where the Heartless carrying his friend had been flying moments before. He stared down at Sora's Keyblade, which was stuck in the grass, and then looked up at the sky. Wisps of Darkness floated to the ground and he wondered how he was going to explain this to The King.

* * *

_:D_

_Okay, so let me know what you think and if you see any grammar errors or anything like that. Leave a review on your way out, comment and crit is appreciated! :) I'll update on like....Wednesday? Yep, Wednesday. ^_^  
_


	3. I

_Hihiiiii ^_^ New chapter is up one day early! :D_

_I finished just now so I decided I didn't want to wait. I hope you guys like iiiiit._

_By the way-- _

_OHMYGOSH. Huge response to second chapter/entire story! 19 reviews in two chapters? *faints* You guys are going to overload me with happiness and then I'll explode andandandand... I dun know XD I'm just so happy, so thank you, all of my reviewers!! _

_This is, I guess, an early Halloween. I'm gonna try and come up with a oneshot by Friday and upload on Saturday. ;)_

_Enjoy the new chapter!  
_

_**

* * *

Darkness or Dawn**_

-------

The wind was cool. A person would think the air in the Realm of Darkness would be stale, thick. To Sora, being flung through the air by his left leg, arms dangling and the force of the Heartless holding him beating its wings created air that was cool, almost refreshing. He closed his eyes for a moment, clenching his now empty hands, wondering when it was that he had dropped his Keyblade, and thought about Kairi. He could see her face clear in his mind, her hand covering her mouth, left arm draped across her waist and the ends of her hair picking up in the breeze.

The Heartless with the vice grip on his leg screeched, bringing him out of his silent reverie. Sora managed to turn his head enough to look up at the overgrown beast. It looked down at the same time and for a moment they just stared at each other; yellow eyes meeting bright blue ones. Sora took the advantage of distraction, summoned his Keyblade in a flurry of ribbons of light and twirled the weapon in his hand, cutting at an angle into the Heartless' leg.

It screamed again, this time in agony rather than victory over its prize. Sora screamed too out of surprise, as he fell from the air and landed rather ungraciously on his face. The Heartless seemed to waver for a moment and then crashed into the ground, its one back leg rearing up and wings crumpling around it like bed sheets.

Sora pushed himself off the floor with a grunt and kicked the limp, fading leg away from himself. He looked back up at the Heartless, a screaming mass of wings and fake feathers, and watched as the Realm of Darkness twisted, bent, and wrapped itself around one of its own in a careless embrace, swallowing the creature back up and into oblivion.

Now standing in the still, eerily silent Realm, Sora wondered if that Heartless went to the same place Ansem did.

-----------

"He's gone?" The King hopped off his throne and stood in front of Riku, Kairi and Naminé.

Riku hung his head, "Yeah." Naminé slipped her hand into his and squeezed, he didn't respond.

"Well, we'll just have to get him back." Mickey smiled and Riku looked up.

"How do we do that?" Kairi crossed her arms, tilted her head to the side.

"We go into the Dark Realm and bring him back, that's all. We just have to find him." Mickey walked past them and called back, "We'll meet in the garden in ten, okay?"

The group nodded and watched The King walk out the door, Naminé smiled, "See Riku? Don't feel bad. I'm sure he's fine."

Riku shook his head, "Doesn't stop the guilt, Naminé." He turned and started to lead them out, "I don't want you going."

Naminé sighed, "I know, but I think I should." She tugged on his arm and motioned for Kairi to keep going. Her sister nodded and Naminé looked up into Riku's eyes. "Can I? I want to help you guys for once."

Riku scratched the back of his head and said, "I'll think about it, but I'm not promising anything, Naminé. If you get hurt, I won't-"

Naminé put a hand to his lips and he raised an eyebrow, "I know. I'll be careful, I promise."

He took her hands in his and ran his thumbs over her palms, "All right." He leaned down, kissed the top of her head and put his arm around her shoulders, leading her out.

-----

Sora twirled his Keyblade around his hand, the other hand in his pocket. He knew he should be careful, but in the half hour he had been in there the only Heartless he had seen was the one that brought him in, and though occasionally he would turn and find tiny yellow eyes staring at him curiously, he still couldn't bring himself to be too on edge.

He looked around for a moment, wondering when his friends would find him, and sat himself down on the floor. There was no point in walking because he knew that when Riku opened a door it wouldn't take him very long to be found, if he opened one to the same path the Heartless had. In short, if Riku did it right, then they would open up right by Sora. Walking would only succeed in getting him lost, and really….The sooner he saw Kairi, the better.

Just as Sora was getting himself settled down; one leg crossed over the other and leaning back on his arms, he caught sight of something familiar, someone he hadn't expected to see ever again.

-----

Kairi rubbed her arms, willing away the goose-bumps as she stepped through the door to the Realm of Darkness. She shivered and glanced over her shoulder, smiling as Riku walked in with Naminé, his hand pressed lightly to her back. The King trotted in next, his own Keyblade out just in case. He went to the front of the group,

"We'll all stay together, come on."

As they walked, Naminé buried her shoulder against Riku's side, rubbing her arms the same way Kairi was. He looked down, raising his eyebrows, "Hey."

"Sorry," she smiled, "It's cold in here." She looked back to the nonexistent road they were walking and felt him push her away. Naminé looked up again, brushing hair from her face, and found he was wrapping his coat around her shoulders. "Riku!"

Riku smirked, "Oh what, you don't want it?" Naminé smacked his side and slipped her arms through the coat arms, grinning as Kairi laughed.

"That thing is _way_ too big for you." Kairi came up beside her sister and tugged the hood up over her head, laughing as Naminé flailed her arms around, the oversized sleeves slapping the air as she threw her head back to get the hood back down. Riku put his arm around her shoulders again and smiled; Naminé wrapped her arms around his waist and tried not to trip over ends of coat.

Naminé hadn't been in the Realm of Darkness since…well, since a year before, when Ansem had taken her there. She shivered at the memory; she still had nightmares over it.

Riku ran his hand through her hair absently and she felt the memories fade away.

"Sora!" Kairi ran past Naminé and Riku, brushing past them and outrunning The King.

"Wait!" Mickey tried to catch up to her, but Kairi's longer legs and head start didn't bode well for him. She flew to Sora's side, taking a step back as she caught sight of what he was standing off against.

Mickey faltered; Riku pulled Naminé behind himself without a second thought.

Sora held Oathkeeper in front of himself, eyes narrowed and trained on the tall, tan figure with the strange grayish hair and hellfire eyes. He only wore a pair of black pants, a jagged "X" visible over his (_non)_ heart. His face looked so familiar and at the same time, so unbelievably different.

"Who are you?" Kairi stepped behind Sora and let The King take her place, Riku came up next to him and Naminé pulled Kairi back a little further, the both of them tripping over the ends of Riku's coat.

The figure tilted his head, something strange in his eyes, and said in a tired drawl, "Xemnas."

Sora glanced at his friends, "What are you?"

Xemnas crossed his arms over his chest, "Nobody."

"You sure as hell look like _somebody."_ Riku called his Keyblade and pulled it up past his shoulder, meeting Xemnas's eyes.

That strangeness in the Nobody's eyes twisted, his face contorted, "_You._" His lips pulled into a snarl and his nose wrinkled, Xemnas started forward. He stopped when he saw the other two Keyblades trained on him, ready, and the strangeness, the recognition, released its grip on him. He stepped back. "Perhaps…" his eyes never left Riku's, "We'll meet again. Soon."

Xemnas took control of his new powers, familiar as they felt, and wrapped them around the Realm of Darkness, tearing a hole behind himself and stepping back into it. As it closed, his eyes flicked over Kairi and Naminé.

----

Later, Kairi stood in front of that same window as before, the sun high in the sky, her arms crossed over herself as though warding off shivers. Sora stood next to her, one hand pressed against her back and the other running over the cracks and bumps in the stone window frame.

Kairi said, "What do you think he is?"

Sora was quiet for a while, then said, "Nobody. That's what he said he was."

Kairi shook her head, "No, he said he _was_ Nobody. Like…he doesn't matter or something." She rubbed her hands over her arms, "He better stay away from Naminé."

Sora smiled, "Riku will take care of that, don't worry." He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "Don't be scared."

Kairi laughed, "How can I not be? The last time Ansem was here, he-"

Sora cut her off, "He isn't Ansem. He's Xemnas, he's different. I don't know what he wants and I think it's too early to tell if he's…dangerous, I guess, but…" he kissed her cheek and she smiled, "I'll protect you, okay?"

Kairi turned around and wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his neck and said, "I know."

* * *

_Okay, so, here's ze deal; If you guys have any requests, since Halloween is my favorite holiday, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Can be oneshots or a scene in a chapter, a line you want me to use, or pictures, too. I DO have a DeviantArt account. ^_^ I'll do my best to have everything up by Friday, mmmkay? That might kill me though if I get too many XDD_

_Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter, if there are any grammar errors or whatever ( I got 3 1/2 hours of sleep so my grammar may be off XD) and comments and crit are appreciated, so leave a review on your way out, please! _

_Happy Halloween!! :D  
_


	4. Reborn

_UGHHHHH._

_I am SO sorry this took so long, and the chapter is kinda filler-ish. My computer failed, junior year at hs is friggin' stressful andandandand...._

_I SOWWY._

_Hopefully, I didn't loose you guys. I'll update as soon as I can, and as soon as I get my computer back. I'm on my momma's right now xD Enjoy!  
_

* * *

His back arched against the ground, hands covering his face and eyes shut tight. Blood pooled around him, black against the floor and steam rose from it in thin white curls. His fingers reached just past his eyes to tangle in his long hair, streaking it down his face. He screamed.

Beside him, a tall man stood, pumpkin eyes bereft, taking in the sight.

He had seen the newborn Nobody slide from one realm to the next, struggling and tearing at the air. He had seen the Nobody slam his back against the ground and scream out as an arm from the nothingness whipped out at him, catching him across the face.

Xemnas knelt down, a potion held tightly in his hand, fingers wrapped around the neck of the bottle. The neon liquid sloshed against the glass. Xemnas brushed the Nobody's hands from his face, all the while an idea slowling forming in his mind.

Around them, the Darkness cracked and Nothingness bent.

---------

The shadows, especially in the Realm of Darkness, had eyes. He was weak, fragile like glass. He could reach with invisible fingers, since the first Nobody with a human face had been born, strength had been granted to him but oh so little strength it was. He had clawed his way out of the pit of Darkness and now he waited. He waited, silently, quietly.

He stared at the two Nobodies walking away, their backs to him. He turned his eyes down to his chest, running his fingertips over the pale, straight scar on his left breast. He trailed his fingers down to his stomach and found the more jagged scar there, bright and glaring even in the shadows of the dark.

Invisible to all others in the Realm but the Heartless he so belonged with, Ansem waited for his strength to return.

* * *

_Short but important XD I hope you guys liked it, please dun kill me for making this so short and such a long update. I also had massive writers block, but...Well, I'm getting rid of it. :) I'm sorry this took so long, hope you liked it..._

_If you're still here, leave a review, please. You can yell at me for being a slowpoke if you want XD  
_


	5. Voice

_Sooo...here XD I tried. If you guys have any requests please let me know so I can get on them. _

_Enjoy the new chapter! :)_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

Naminé held the thin stick of charcoal in her fingers delicately, careful not to squeeze her fingers and snap it. Her pajamas, which were usually a pale blue, were smeared in black and gray, a small comma of black dust was settled on her left cheek. She bit her lip, crossing her legs as she adjusted her sketchpad on her knee and brushed some hair from her face, making another streak of black across her forehead as she did so.

It was a rare moment, one she couldn't quite bring herself to pass up. She had drawn Riku before, the painting she had to leave at her home was proof of that, but it was rare when he posed for her. It was an even greater rarity to wake up before him and find him sleeping on his side. Riku's right arm was tucked under his head, silver hair tumbling in soft waves down his shoulders and back, his black shirt wrinkled and pulled up just so his side was bared, thin scars nearly transparent against his skin. His left arm was draped over himself, his hand resting on the bed and fingers curled into the thick sheets. His legs were tangled in the bed, his feet sticking out of a misshapen heap of white blankets.

It was then that Naminé looked at the clock and found she only hand an hour before his alarm went off, so she set to work. She seized her sketchpad and was about to reach for her colored pencils when she realized, as she dropped one and it clanged back against the others, they might make too much noise if she moved. He was a fairly light sleeper, so Naminé tiptoed around the room until she found a brand new pack of charcoal. She shimmied a stick out and now sat cross legged about six inches from Riku, covered in charcoal dust and various other sketches from various angles littering the bed.

She had just finished the top portion of his body when his alarm clock went off.

Naminé, lost in her creativity, jumped. She had ruined enough pictures out of fright to know to raise her hand when she was startled, which was why there was no jagged black line streaked across the page. Rather, there was a perfectly executed picture of Riku, peaceful in his sleep, thick dark lashes resting against his pale cheeks and his lips parted just slightly for breath.

Now, he shifted, groaned, and wrinkled his face. His eyes opened and he sat there for a moment, the alarm blaring big green numbers and his favorite radio station, his girlfriend sitting not a foot from him and covered in black dust, a few noticeable smudges on her face and arms and her eyes wide, like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Riku was silent for all of five seconds before he started to laugh, the classic tinge of pink rising to Naminé's cheeks as she reached over and slapped the alarm, guilty in all of her artistic glory.

When she turned back, Riku's laughter had died down and he was holding one of her last pictures in his hand, one eyebrow raised. He looked up at her,

"What's all this?"

Naminé felt the piece of charcoal in her hand snap, "Pictures of you…" her voice was quiet, soft.

Riku smirked, "You look guilty."

"I…" she blushed deeper and looked away but turned back as she felt the bed shift and found Riku moving towards her, brushing her pictures away.

He pulled her to him, giving her time to drop her things as he tugged her into his lap, "You what?"

Naminé looked down at her black smudged hands, dirty and all the more pale in contrast, "I didn't want to pass it up."

Naminé felt Riku smile into her neck, his arms constrict around her, "If you wanted me to pose for you, all you had to do was ask." That said, he pushed her gently back onto the bed, cleared himself a spot on the bed and lay back down.

"So…" Naminé tore off her last sketch and reached for another piece of charcoal, "You'll let me draw you?"

Riku nodded, lying on his side again, "I can't stay for long though, I have work in two hours."

Naminé smiled, "Okay, so then…I can tell you what I want you to do." It sounded somewhat like a statement and Riku raised his eyebrows, wondering if relinquishing his time for this was such a smart idea.

"Yeah…" he said cautiously,

Naminé grinned, "Then take off your shirt."

---------

There is a flurry of wind and darkness and two become three.

Overlooking the Disney Castle grounds, they are all dressed in black with their hoods pulled up high, lips moving and words forming that are soft and quiet but deep. They have a plan, the leader knows what he wants, and he can not feel anything but this gentle tug on his (_non_)heart, where he thinks it could've been, and he hears a voice strikingly similar to his own with a name he can't remember.

This voice, deep and commanding, says one word, one name, over and over and over and over and over and---

It's driving him absolutely insane.

_-Kairi.-_

"We will attack when our numbers are greater."

-_Kairi-_

"When our strength is greater."

The voice breaks its one word spell.

_-Kairi, give me Kairi.-_

"Do you know when that will be?" The one to Xemnas's left asks, a clump of matted dreadlocks pokes out from the edge of his hood.

"Soon. Very soon, Xaldin."

Xaldin nods, Xigbar crosses his arms, Xemnas snaps his fingers and they disappear once more, leaving only traces of distorted darkness on the air.

-----

"Sora!" Sora nearly falls out of bed, jumping so violently from the sudden outburst that it takes him a moment to realize it was Kairi who was calling for him.

Groaning, Sora threw the blankets, tangled around his legs and begging him to stay, off the bed and jumped again as his bare feet slapped the cold hardwood floor.

"_Sora!"_ Kairi again. It was more urgent, louder.

Waking himself up, he crossed his arms over his chest and bounced from foot to foot, wincing as he stumbled past the bed, out the open door and down the hall. Thankfully, the hall floor was warmer.

Down the hall and beneath one of those magnificent arched windows with the stained glass, Kairi had her palms pressed flat against it, leaning in so much that Sora feared the glass could break. She was wearing her thickest pair of sweatpants (which happened to be Sora's when she had first started living there) and a muted pink sweater. Her hair fell down her shoulders in that usual straight fashion, the red so bright and deep in the morning light that for a moment, as he hopped down the hall, Sora thought maybe it was saturating that soft pink sweater.

And then he drew closer and he saw what Kairi was staring at- The three men in black standing at the very top of one of the far towers of the castle, closest to the castle walls.

He uncrossed his arms and put his hand on her shoulder, Kairi jumped and spun on him. "Who are they?"

Sora shook his head and pulled her close, his arms folding around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and turned her face towards the window, staring out at the three black figures. They seemed to be talking, gesturing to each other before the middle one snapped his fingers and they were gone.

Kairi pressed herself closer to Sora and said, "Do you guys ever get to rest?"

Sighing, Sora pressed his lips to her hair and muttered, "I don't think so, Kairi."

---------

_fjkdla;jfkl;adjf _

_I need help :( If anyone has any sort of ideas (ANY) let me know, otherwise I don't know how long this story will last._

_Sorry for the wait. :P  
_


	6. Kairi

_:'D _

_I has my inspiration again. :D _

_Thanks to everyone that helped me with the ideas XD I managed to get a few of my own after a while, sooo…I really can't wait til you guys get to the end. Hopefully, you'll get what I'm setting up here. _

_Also, I seriously think that if I can keep with this story, it'll be WAY longer than Oathkeeper was. _

_Anyway…Enjoy! A quick update to make up for my lack-of before XD_

_

* * *

_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

"Three guys in black?"

Kairi nodded, "Yeah, Sora saw them too." She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, the cold air seeping through her sweater. Sora wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"They were on the North Tower." He rested his cheek on the top of Kairi's head, as he exhaled a few strands of hair tickled his nose and he couldn't help but smile, just a little.

Riku shifted, arms crossed over his chest. He glanced at the doorway to The King's study- hearing this news made him uneasy over agreeing to leave Naminé alone in their room, as much as he knew she needed her privacy, he doubted their new enemy would really care about that.

The King was standing up in his chair, palms pressed against the finished wood desk, fingers splayed over whatever important documents lay there- including a map of the Outer World and a tiny brown journal.

He cleared his throat, "Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on things around here. Kairi, maybe you and Naminé should go check on the Ansem from your world. Just to, you know, make sure these new guys haven't messed anything up there."

Kairi nodded, "Okay." She brought a hand to her lips and glanced at Riku, "Where's Naminé?"

Riku uncrossed his arms for a moment to scratch his nose, "Last I checked she was taking a shower. She should be here by now." He kept his eyes trained on the doorway.

Sora opened his mouth to speak and somewhere down the hall, a girl screamed.

As Riku summoned his Keyblade and Sora pulled Kairi behind himself, leading her towards the door with The King close behind, Kairi found a memory surfacing that she –

_In the stifling darkness of the room, broken only by the grated moonlight spilling in from the windows, Kairi waited with the rest of the nurses and patients. It was silent._

_She heard a soft rustling from somewhere far off, and then a wail. Long and hollow and drawn out, horrible in all of its ugliness, it pierced her ears and she winced, hearing Demyx's soft gasp right beside her. It wasn't a siren, but Kairi took it as a warning. _

_A nurse walked into the light from the shadows, back arched painfully forward and eyes wide, fingers rigid and claw-like. Behind her, orange eyes glowered in the dark and Ans---_ she really didn't need to remember.

'_Where did that come from?_' she trailed behind Sora, stopping short and nearly plowing into the back of him as he rounded the corner sharply and then skidded to a halt. He held his Keyblade before him, but at the sight of Riku in the middle of the hallway with that look on his face, that mix of fury and hatred, Sora knew he wouldn't need it.

Naminé stood stock still, blue eyes wide and her hair still wet from her shower. Her sketchbook was held in front of her like a shield, but it wasn't doing her any good. A black gloved hand held her by the throat, gripping her just enough to hurt but not enough to leave a mark, not enough to cut off air. Naminé's eyes touched Kairi's, fell to Riku and stayed there, willing for some kind of comfort.

"Are you Kairi?" Naminé's shock cleared just enough for her to understand Xemnas's words, now staring up into his eyes beneath his hood.

"N-No."

"What do you care?" Riku took a few steps forward, faltering when Xemnas's hand fell away from Naminé's throat, leaving little white oval fingerprints on her skin that filled in immediately. Naminé brought her sketchbook closer, took a careful step back and then turned on her heel and ran for Riku. He let an arm constrict around her and pull her to him, "Are you all right?" She nodded against his chest and buried her face in his coat.

Kairi rested her hands on Sora's shoulders and Sora shook his head, "What do you want with Kairi?"

"Then…" Xemnas seemed to be ignoring Riku's question, his eyes traveling from Naminé to The King, to Sora and finally Kairi, who was still hiding behind Sora. Xemnas pointed a finger at her, "_You_ must be Kairi."

Xemnas smiled, it was strange, hollow, scary and unnatural, like seeing a corpse breathe and move. He raised a hand behind himself, a portal springing from the ground. He stepped back into it, "I have a friend that would like to see her."

The portal closed around him, crashing down to the earth and leaving crescent shaped strands of black in the air.

"_Kairi."_ Deep and familiar. Kairi let go of Sora and whipped around.

Sora turned around too, "Hey." He touched her arm and she jumped, twirled around again. "He won't get you, I promise." Kairi nodded, though it was clear in her eyes she was a little shaken, not by Xemnas's threat but by that voice that no one else seemed to hear.

--------

"It wasn't an attack- consider it recon on our new enemies." Standing at the ruins of his other half's old hideout, Xemnas crossed his arms and tried to tune out his colleagues' voices.

There was a snort and then, "Totally unprepared." Their newest member, Vexen.

"Unethical to our previous plans." Xaldin.

"Man, what_ever_. Is this the place?" Xigbar.

"Yes." Xemnas took a step onto a piece of crumbled stones, dark blue and gray. They scraped together beneath his feet, he kicked a shard of glass out of his path and listened to it skitter across the field of ruins.

"What are we doing here?" Xaldin walked across the rubble to Xemnas,

"I'm unsure myself," he pulled his hood down, "but there's something here. Wait." He closed his eyes, Xaldin did the same. Xemnas breathed deep through his nose, catching a familiar scent on the air. "This place is close to the Darkness."

Xaldin nodded, "I smell it."

"Every Nobody inadvertently creates a Heartless. Mine was destroyed not long ago." He raised a hand, clenched it to a fist as though capturing the essence of the fallen Heartless he spoke of, "He stayed here. Perhaps we should too."

Xaldin nodded, scratching his chin, "You mean rebuild it?"

Xemnas nodded, "It's only a matter of time before this place moves closer to the Realm of Nothingness too. This place was built in the image of Darkness. We shall have the Nothingness create it in the image of ourselves."

Vexen walked up beside Xaldin, "While you two figure _this_ out," he waved an arm out at the destruction around them, "Xigbar and I will recruit members." He opened a portal, Xemnas watched them walk in.

Xaldin summoned one of those jagged purple lances, the wind picked up and he used the lance to direct it to the center of the ruins. "We'll waste no time then."

-------

"Kairi?"

Kairi turned at the sound of her name, smiling as Sora walked up to her. Riku and Naminé were beside him.

"Hi, Sora." She grinned as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek. "What's up?" Kairi couldn't help the little bit of laughter that found its way into her voice, especially as she saw Riku roll his eyes and Naminé start to giggle.

Sora pulled back, though he kept his arms around her, "Riku and I were thinking-"

"-Uh oh."

Sora laughed, "Come on, Kairi, this is serious." He was smiling.

Kairi grinned, "Okay, okay."

Sora glanced at Riku, Riku met his gaze for a moment before looking down at Naminé and finishing was Sora had to say, "You guys need to be able to defend yourselves if Sora and I aren't around."

"So we'll teach you."

Kairi smiled, "Okay…But…" she looked over at Naminé, "We don't have weapons like you guys do."

Riku shook his head, "We've already got some picked out for you."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, but…We need to go talk to The King about today's work."

Kairi shook her head, "You guys can go, we'll be-"

Riku cut in, "No. If something happened to either of you it would be our fault for not

protecting you."

Naminé wrinkled her nose, "Riku…"

He kissed the top of her head, "Quiet."

Kairi sighed, leaned against Sora and said, "Can we go with you then?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah, come on."

-------

Vexen stood back, one arm crossed over his chest and the other bent, fingers scratching his chin. He raised an eyebrow in thought, "He'll be perfect, yes."

Xigbar smirked, "Come on; let's see if we've got a coat big enough for you." As Xigbar led their new recruit in the right direction, through tunnels of Darkness and strange shadows, he asked, "You got a name?"

The brute behind him grunted, "Lexaeus."

--------

Ansem sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one calloused finger. He stared down at his desk for a moment, the papers unusually cluttering the glossy finish of the hardwood. His planner was laying crooked over the pile of papers, multiple time slots filled in and not one empty in his work day. He had circled several time slots, all consecutive, all in red ink with the word "Interview" across the top.

He had scribbled the names of the people he was meaning to meet somewhere in the planner, but, as usual, things had gotten out of hand and he could hardly read it. The only name he could possibly try and read started with an "B" and there seemed thousands of ways to pronounce it.

Sighing, he shuffled his papers together into one neat pile, straightened his planner out and grabbed his red pen. He put an "X" next to his possible employee's name and sat down in his chair, easing back.

The buzzer on his intercom-phone rang, he hit the button back and a few moments later his office door opened.

The man in the doorway was tall, slim, wearing crisp black clothes. His hair was at his shoulders, black and slicked back straight. Yellow-gold eyes and a smile that Ansem almost didn't like, a thin and conceited look that chilled him.

Ansem stood and extended his hand in greeting as the man closed the door and crossed the room, eyes narrowing as he smiled. They shook hands, "Pleasure to meet you," Ansem motioned to the seat in front of the desk, "Have a seat."

The man sat down, crossed one leg over the other.

Ansem glanced down at his planner and found the name, again, illegible. Mentally cursing himself, he said, "I'm sorry, could you tell me your name again?"

The man's smile grew slightly, his voice was a little more welcoming, "Braig."

* * *

_:'D_

_Hope you liked it, either way, leave a review on your way out. Next update will be on the weekend, maybe Friday or Saturday, latest Sunday. __J _


	7. Quiet

_Hihiiiii~ Is a longer chapter for you guys XD Hope ya like it! _

_Enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

_Hands on her. Pulling, itching, scratching, clawing. Grabbing at her and pulling her down and into the dark, into tan skinned arms and a place where thousands of pairs of hellfire eyes glowered at her, mocking, laughing. Pulling, itching scratching._

_She kicked her legs, screamed, shook her head and felt her hair whip around her in golden tresses once fine. Those hands on her, pulling, clawing, grabbing, took hold of a lock of hair and ripped. She felt the tear being made, the fibers stitched so carefully and delicately together breaking apart. Blood ran down her face, dribbling off her chin and shaking into the air as she tossed and turned and screamed._

_Those hands on her. _

_Pulling._

"_No!"_

_Itching._

"_Riku!"_

_Scratching._

"_Help me!"_

_Clawing._

"_RIKU!"_

_Laughter, hands on her and sinking into her skin like the smoking darkness she was breathing, curling in her lungs and settling, choking her. _

_She hears a whisper in the dark, stifled Light in the night. She opens her eyes as she kicks and elbows and scratches back. _

_He is standing there. He is tall over her and walking closer and those hands- -_

"**RIKU!"**__

Naminé jolts, startling herself awake. There are arms around her, giving off gentle warmth. She is nestled in his lap, his arms encasing her so her own aren't flying around, smacking into things, possibly getting hurt. Naminé's face is pressed so close to his skin she can see the cells interwoven there, pale and glowing in the sunlight. Riku's fingers are buried in her hair, separated by thousands of strands of precious gold- he leans down and presses his nose to the top of her head, planting a kiss there and holding his breath.

Naminé blinks and sees the beautiful, not-so-dark world outside. She shifts, her legs bent and tucked beneath her, and holds her breath too.

It would seem that with the finding of their new enemies, or rather, at the sight of Ansem's eyes buried in the skull of someone else, her nightmares have gotten worse.

She blinks again and shifts, pulling back. Naminé sees the puffy red scratches she's left on Riku's arms in all of her subconscious, confused terror.

God, they are so much worse.

Naminé lifts her head and meets Riku's gaze. There are pale violet circles under his eyes, as though framing them, and his eyelids seem to droop. Naminé stares at Riku, Riku stares back.

She leans up and touches their noses to each other, simply staring into his eyes and wondering, somewhere in the back of her head, why those nightmares can always get to her.

All Naminé does is say his name one more time, dripping of her tongue like sweet honey, before he breathes out a tired sigh and wraps her up in his arms again. Naminé buries her face against Riku's neck, kissing his cheek in the process, and smiles a little as she feels him moving her back towards her usual spot on the bed.

He lays her down, covers her with blankets and Naminé asks him, "Does it hurt?"

Riku raises an eyebrow for a moment, feels the sting of those scratches she left and he shakes his head, "Nah."

"I'm sorry."

"I know." He leans down, kisses her forehead and lays down beside her.

Naminé settles herself against his side, craving some form of warmth in the wintry air, and says, "I love you."

Riku smiles as he buries his lips in her hair, "I know." he holds her against himself and wills the nightmares away with her.

---------

It is dark there.

As it always is, it is dark, but it seems….It may be darker than usual. It's a strange blackness, stark, suffocating and at the same time, as he sits cross legged and quiet, a book cracked open across his knees serving as a personal altar. He brushed hair from his face, his fingers trailing along his newly formed skin, covered in goose-bumps from the cold air. He put his hand over his (_non_)heart, fingertips tracing the outline of the scar.

His eyes grazed the surface of the book.

"Intriguing…"

Gray hair fell into his vision, he sighed, looked up at the sound of footsteps. He smirked, "I've been waiting."

Vexen extended a hand, "Of course you have."

----------

Xemnas stood back from the newly crafted masterpiece, a fake smile on his lips. Xaldin glanced at him, "It's perfect."

Xemnas nodded, "It is."

-_Kairi.-_

"Be quiet."

Xaldin turned to him, "What?"

_-No. Give me Kairi.-_

"I said be quiet."

"I didn't say anything." Xaldin raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "You've been working too hard." he motioned to the newly built all white castle, having watched Xemnas twist and bend the Nothingness to his own will, it was easily plausible.

_-GIVE ME KAIRI.- _a deep roar inside his skull.

Xemnas nodded, tired as hell and aching to get the voice to just _be quiet._

He glanced at Xaldin, "I…I'll be back. Map out the castle." Xaldin nodded and watched his Superior move back into a deep oval of purple and black.

-----

In the Darkness, the voice was louder, and this time it had a face. He had seen him once before, flesh and bones and still not entirely apart from the Dark.

Ansem crossed his arms, "_Well?"_

Xemnas nodded, preparing to do what his weak other half could not. He pulled open a portal, stepping into Sora and Kairi's room. It was still early and they slept deeply.

They were wrapped in each other, Sora's arms around Kairi and hers around him. The blankets were rumpled, half on the bed half off. Sora snored quietly and Kairi let out a little sigh in her sleep.

Xemnas stood beside the bed, unaware that nearby, as Naminé and Riku had effectively given up getting any sleep, Riku stood still for a moment, a scent rising in the air. He growled, yanked Naminé's hand in the right direction and moved quickly, heart dropping as he pinpointed where the scent was coming from and just who it was.

Xemnas leaned over the bed, placing a hand on Sora's head, "Stay asleep." Nothingness curled from his fingers, into Sora's hair and his snoring stopped. In his dreams the ground fell away and he found himself falling.

Xemnas moved from Sora to Kairi, putting a hand on her shoulder and ripping the darkness open beneath her.

Kairi landed with a thud, moaning softly as she nestled against the ground, jarring her from what was probably the deepest sleep she'd been in. Xemnas stood back and waited for Ansem.

She scrunched her eyes shut, pursing her lips. Gooseflesh sprouted up her arms, her cheeks, her legs. Her lips, a thin pale pink line on her face, trembled in the cold.

'_Where's Sora?' _

She had been lying in her bed just a moment before, buried beneath warm covers and plush comforter, Sora's arms wrapped around her and hair tickling the back of her neck. Now, it was cold, the cozy warmth of her room and the steady rhythm of Sora's breathing in her ear gone, replaced with dead wind and a freezing cold unlike any other.

She knew where she was, but how had she gotten there?

It was the first prickle of movement against her skin that made her open her eyes, and even before that she had a premonition, lasting only five seconds, of what it would be. She screamed anyway.

Back pressed against the floor, Kairi watched the bands of darkness tighten around her ankles, her arms and across her chest, holding her to the floor. Elastic, strong, she struggled and they stretched and moved with her. Kairi's eyes opened wide, sleep running from her quickly as adrenaline made its way through her.

She heard laughter, and she turned to her left, mouth tugging down in a mix of a scream and snarl of anger, something that she had never done before. She had never in her life hated the look Xemnas was giving her so much, she had never in her life, truthfully, hated both something and nothing so much.

Beside him, a figure of darkness grew, sprouting from the ground like a twisted sort of daisy from a garden. She watched in horror, the figure hardly visible in all the darkness, its most glowing features it's eyes of orange. The darkness lifted and for a moment, as though a shadowing veil was lifted from her eyes, his skin became whole, covering muscles and tendons and veins pumping with black blood.

The hatred in her turned to fear and she screamed for Sora.

-------

In their room, Sora jolted awake, this time actually falling off the bed as Riku all but kicked the door in, his eyes wide and frantic as Naminé's behind him.

"Sora!"

The shock hardly cleared from Sora and he grunted, grabbing hold of the side of the bed and hauling himself up, blinking sleep from his eyes. He felt like he'd been hit with a tranquilizer.

"Huh?"

Riku took a few steps in, sniffed the air, "Where's Kairi?"

Sora looked from Riku to the bed to Riku again. "I…Wait…" He pushed himself up, shaking, and fell back to his knees. "Ugh…"

Riku moved through the room, kneeling down next to Sora and putting a hand on his shoulder, "Sora?"

Sora blinked up lazily, mouth twitching as he said in a tired drawl, "Riku?"

"What's going on?" Naminé jumped and moved to the side, letting The King in. He looked around the room, "Where's Kairi?"

Riku pulled Sora up, stooping over so his arm was around his shoulders, Sora groaned. "They took her." Riku walked Sora past Mickey, "We need Donald." Mickey nodded, Naminé was quick behind him, putting her hand on Riku's shoulder,

"What about Kairi?"

Riku glanced down at her, "I think…" he looked to Mickey, Mickey nodded. Riku turned and stopped for a moment, opening a portal for His Majesty. "Be careful." Mickey nodded and walked through.

_---------_

_So, technically this was done yesterday, but I wanted to just wait and make sure I didn't get any ideas for it after I posted it XD _

_Let me know what you thiiiiink~_


	8. Ansem

_Good morning! I have school today, figured I'd do this fast while I had the chance. _

_I'm sorry it took so long. I've decided to give myself at the most two weeks for a chapter, so the next one should be out soon! I'm sorry again T.T_

_Enjoy!  
_

**_

* * *

Darkness or Dawn _**

**_----------  
_**

She is a tangled mass of shaking bones and bloodied skin on the ground. The elastic bands of darkness long forgotten, torn to ribbons by fingers, hands, pressure and scraping nails. Kairi buries her face in her forearms, hands pressed flat against the top of her head, and cries.

She screamed for help and help did not come.

She will not beg.

She will not break, but she can feel fault lines forming and depressions widening.

She now knows what Naminé felt the year before.

Kairi draws her legs in, blood smears across the ground and she shuts her eyes. It's only one leg that's bleeding so profusely, one leg that has a deep triangle shaped indentation from Ansem's fingers clawing at her, just before she shrieked and spun herself around and kicked him in the process.

Ansem stands over her, casually flicking skin and blood out from under his fingernails. He smirks, brow furrowing and eyes taking her in. A girl he had not expected to be able to hurt, to be able to hurt _him_, and yet somehow she helped him meet his end.

He has one other person on his list, one other person that helped defeat him, and he will be paid a visit later. For now, Kairi is as good a plaything as any, and she's all -

A Keyblade glints in the dim dark light of the Realm, spinning wicked circles and cracking Ansem across the face. His nose crunches on impact and he screams, bloodcurdling rage, and stumbles back, hitching forward and cradling his nose in his hands. Mickey jumps and catches his Keyblade, skids to a halt at Kairi and then steps around her.

As cute and adorable as the tiny mouse is, he is most definitely, with the glare on his face and his eyes deep with hate, putting even the most intimidating to shame. He looks into Ansem's eyes and sees laughter.

There are suddenly two arms, strong and tough, constricting around Mickey and he curses himself for not seeing it. Xemnas draws back and The King kicks in the air, struggling, wriggling, loosening the hold.

As Mickey tries to escape Xemnas, Kairi pushes herself up just enough, laying on her hip and her eyes blurry and red with tears. There is a very clear, defined scratch down her right cheek, the skin puffy and angry. She sniffles, gasps, glances at Ansem and he smirks again, his nose forgotten though it seems crooked on his face. He reaches for her and she jumps, tries to slide back and is caught by her hair. Ansem yanks her up and she screams again, hands clamping down with shaking fingers to try and make him let up. Her feet no longer touch the floor.

"Kairi!"

If she could have, she would have looked behind her, jumped for joy- or both. Ansem rips her away and throws her to the side like a piece of trash. She lands hard on her side and slides into the Darkness, looking up just in time to see Sora take a running jump and land a kick square on Ansem's already broken nose.

Behind Xemnas, Riku summons his Keyblade and jumps, twirls and brings Way to the Dawn around himself. Xemnas cries out in pain and surprise and drops The King, who lands easily on his feet and grabs his Keyblade too.

Naminé is at Kairi's side in an instant, a potion in her hand and fear nagging at her, eyes constantly flicking towards Ansem, the blood on his hands. She would not have been there had it been anyone else other than Kairi that needed help. Kairi had come for her, and so she had come for Kairi. Kairi noticed how, as Naminé helped her up, Riku moved his side of the battle closer to them.

Somewhere in the midst of all the chaos and fear and anger, Ansem is struck down by Sora, fading almost instantly as though he had never been there. Xemnas sees this and as Riku attacks him, disappears into the dark.

The Realm is quiet and Sora pulls Kairi into the tightest hug she's ever felt, his chin resting on top of her head and eyes shut, whispering her name so softly that even in the silence she can hardly catch it. In his embrace she finds the strength she needs to stifle the crying, if only for a few moments before she can rest. In the few small seconds before Kairi realizes that Sora is her strength, she clutches him to herself with weakened muscles, and hides her terror behind silken thin eyelids. She leans up and kisses his cheek. He whispers in her ear that he loves her.

Riku pulls Naminé close to himself, an arm like a shield around her waist. No one says anything else, it's a group effort to move towards the portal opened. Their footfalls echo quietly in the realm as the door closes.

-------

Pieces of wax covered paper and stubby colored pencils litter the floor. The balcony window to Riku and Naminé's room is open, wind sweeping in like a small child to send the room into disarray, grabbing things with small hands and looking, inspecting, tossing objects to the side like old toys.

Xaldin stands tall, arms crossed, two lances floating on either side of him. Vexen flutters around the room like the papers, collecting waxy imitations of life, mumbling under his breath about stupid storms and windy days. Xaldin simply smirks.

"Such beautiful pictures…" Vexen snatches one from the air and then narrows his eyes. One of Riku sleeping from before. He growls, sets it on the bed and deliberately drags a thumb through the center of the page, streaking charcoal and black dust. The likeness is ruined, now all it depicts is a faint outline of a person, a black streak, and crumpled bed sheets.

"They aren't here. We'll come back later, Vexen." Vexen shakes his head, drops the pile of papers on the bed and sighs.

"Would you rather go back and do the job Superior gave to you, Xaldin?" Xaldin growls but turns his head. After a few threats, Xigbar had taken up his job of mapping out the castle, and now the two of them were on a basic recon mission. Though, if they looked hard enough, they could find more than enough information about their two subjects based on their surroundings, the Nobodies were more interested in how well they'd hold up in battle- Riku, specifically.

"What can we learn from drawings and a messy bed?"

Vexen sighs, his shoulders visibly drooping, and tilts his head to the ceiling. He raises both arms to his chest in exasperation as he says, "You obviously have never thought like a scientist. Look around you. What do you see?" Vexen turns, crosses an arm over his chest and rests his elbow on it, he raises an eyebrow.

Xaldin frowns, takes a quick sweep of the room. Papers on the floor, still, so many. Crumbled bed sheets. A set of sneakers in the corner, much too big for the blond, and a pair of slippers, about half the size of the sneakers.

"The blond lives here with Riku."

Vexen nods, though he knew this already, "And how do you know this?"

Xaldin points, "The shoes in the corner. Those fuzzy pink slippers can't be his. Also, all the drawings on the floor, unless he draws too."

Vexen nods again in approval, "Those are the girl's, yes, unless Riku has a hidden talent." He turns back around, "Look at the pictures, Xaldin. They are all of scenery, still life, oceans, flowers- many, many flowers. Riku." he's separating them into piles on the bed. By far, there are more flower pictures than of anything else, though Riku's pile seems to be second largest. "And just look at the pencils on the floor. I'd say, from the looks of it, this girl works herself to the bone. If you look to the corner by the window you'd see a pile of canvas paintings."

Xaldin huffs, a long gusty sound that would make any normal person laugh, seeing it come from such a large and almost intimidating man, "What does that say about _Riku_ now?"

Vexen shakes his head, "Must I say _everything?_" he rolls his eyes, "Clearly the two are in love, for them to share a room and not be on each others' nerves. Granted the way Superior says Riku protected Naminé, as well. Naminé is also, obviously, a very dainty, small artist who enjoys life, or she would not create so many drawings depicting undisturbed life." He smirks, "However," he holds a hand up, pulls one drawing from his coat pocket, one that had been previously folded into fourths and hidden where Riku would not find it. It was a picture she had made simply to vent, to ease herself.

In the center is Ansem, surrounded by darkness, and beneath him is herself, a feeble mess covered in black and blue marks.

"However," Vexen says again, "One could also say that, given this image, she uses the color and life found in everyday scenery to forge happiness and peace for herself. A sign of depression, she is hiding her feelings." He motions to the bed, the flower pictures, "These are all dated images, signed by the artist herself. This one," he scans the back, "About a year ago." he shuffles through the pile on the bed, finds a few older pictures and lays them in comparison to the newer ones.

"As you can see," he starts with an older drawing, a dark purple flower, setting sun behind it. "This one, a later one, has less color." he moves down the line, showing the general progression of the change from dark tones to light hues. "Perhaps her false happiness is starting to show in her work?"

Xaldin shrugs, "I still don't understand."

Vexen yells this time, "You dolt!" he smacks Xaldin's shoulder, "Obviously Riku has, at some point, let his guard down and Naminé took the punishment. That would explain also why he is so protective of her. From that we can assume that around her, Riku is on the defensive, and from what we've seen of his fighting style he is more of an offensive. Do you understand _now?" _

Xaldin glares, "Yes, Vexen."

Vexen smirks, "Good boy." He turns, lets the papers flutter to the ground including the picture of Ansem. "Come."

He walks through a portal to their new home, Xaldin sighs and follows. The wind dies down.

------

* * *

....._I'm sorry it's so short! If you're still here, leave a review on your way out, you can yell at me if you want. XD;_


	9. Missing

_Surprised? Update time~ _

_Enjoy! (And thanks for not abandoning me and my little story here ;w; )_

_Oh, and two little side notes- 1: the dance scene in here was to "Right Round" by Flo Rida xD but you can choose another song if you want, I dun care, it might help if you listen to it though while reading the scene to get the full feel of it. - 2: EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon, and yes, I'm a Ghost Hunters fan xD _

_Enjoy! _

_

* * *

_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

_**------------**_

Naminé's hand found its way to her lips; she felt Riku's hand on her shoulder tighten for just a moment. Staring at the destroyed remains of their room, Naminé says in a quiet voice, "Why would they do this?"

Riku shook his head, hair covering his eyes. He stared at the piles of drawings on the bed, the one of him that had been ruined, and the ones on the floor. While he let Naminé's shoulder go she took a few timid steps towards their bed, her hand over her chest as she took a deep breath. She picked up the charcoal drawing next to her, the ruined one. Her fingers shook and curled around the edges, crumpling and bending the paper, further tarnishing the image. Tears welled in her eyes and she bit her lip. Naminé looked around the paper at Riku.

He had knelt on the ground and was fumbling through the pages, getting them neatly together until he'd spotted the one Vexen had shown Xaldin. The likeness of Ansem in the picture is incredibly accurate, the crumbled heap of skin and a white dress on the floor messily drawn in comparison. He raises his eyes to Naminé and stands, puts the pile of pictures on the bed and sits down next to her. He turns the drawing towards her, "You never showed me this one."

Naminé blinks, looks at the picture in her hands and then at the one in Riku's. She reaches out timidly and takes it, pale pink fingers snatching it quickly once they brush against the surface of the page. She presses it to her chest and lets her head hang. "I'm sorry."

Riku shakes his head, "Don't be. I just…You told me you were all right."

Naminé nods a little, blinks, leans and rests her head on his shoulder. He smiles a little and wraps an arm around her. "It was a week or two after when I drew that, I just…I was okay, I just wanted to express the part of me that wasn't."

Riku kissed the top of her head, buried his nose in straw colored hair, "Are you sure that's all? I don't want you dealing with that on your own."

Naminé sniffs a little, a tell tale sign to Riku that she's about to start crying, and he sighs, scoops her into his lap and wraps her up tight. "I'm just scared he'll come back now. He…He went after Kairi."

Riku nods, feels her burrow her face to his neck and says in a soft voice reserved only for her, "We won't let him hurt her again. And I won't rest until both him and Xemnas are gone, all right?" Naminé nods and lets out a gust of air. "I'll protect you, always, Naminé."

She kisses his neck and pulls away for a moment to wipe her tears, she sniffles again and says, "I know."

---------

Sora leans back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes downcast. He's waiting.

The stereo turns on full blast and he winces at first, looks up to Kairi. She's wearing actual dance clothes, not just a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, but black leggings and a soft blue shirt that clings her; it's almost like half of a leotard. He smiles a little at the memory, when he asked her if she ever wore one and if so, could he see- she'd promptly slapped him and started laughing.

Right now, with her hair pulled into a messy bun and a few light scars on her arms from earlier in the day, Kairi doesn't smile. Her eyes are closed, her face blank but not serene. Wisps of rebel hair hang around her face, deep red in the light. They're in the one room that had been cleaned out; it was a sort of welcoming gift from The King that was now used as a dance studio. There are mirrors glued to the walls, an enormous stereo on the floor and a pile of CDs against the wall.

Sora notes that the music playing isn't her usual- it's more of a club song, kind of a rap song. He's never seen her dance this way before, her movements are usually graceful and flowing into each other, the music soft and gentle.

Kairi spins- one leg out and straight, she jumps halfway through and lands in a lunge. She jumps and spins again, stops, fakes a turn and spins to the left. She throws one leg up and it smacks her chest, she grabs it for a moment, lets it drop quickly and throws herself to the floor, hands and palms flat to the smooth cold wood. She breathes, pushes herself up and finds herself in a handstand. One leg bends, the other points to the ceiling. She swings a leg out and twists, foot grazing the floor and switching one arm as fast as she can, bringing it behind herself. She presses her feet to the floor and stands, spins again and jumps, lands in a lunge, brings both legs in and throws her arms back, arching her spine as her head hangs back.

Sora watches the sunlight as it makes her profile glow, there's a ray of dust in the air and the entire image is imprinted as a permanent memory in his mind.

Kairi stands straight and swings an arm around herself, curling down to the floor at the same time as the music slows for a moment, the rapper starts again and she rolls forward once, twice, comes up standing and swings a leg, bending it behind her body. She stops, jumps and switches legs, brings herself back to a standing position and as the song ends, throws her arms back and arches her back again.

The room is quiet with the exception of quick footsteps slapping the ground, echoing on the walls. Kairi's eyes snap open and she finds herself in Sora's arms- he picks her up and twirls her and she starts to laugh.

-------

Ansem sighs, easing back in his chair with his fingers linked behind his head. He glances at the clock and notices it's almost time for him to leave, to pack up for the day and finish whatever work he had left at home with the TV on and a frozen dinner in front of him. He has been working since yesterday morning, around 26 hours now. He had just finished getting his new employees logged into the computer, checking their backgrounds one final time before deciding that they were exactly what he needed.

Along with Braig he has hired five more doctors, all with their own special talents for helping patients. There's Ienzo, who could put his patients into an almost trance like state to find what was hidden deeper, what wasn't right. He was widely popular among law enforcement, his abilities being needed more than once to find if a suspect was truthful or not. There's Even, who seems to know every medicine known to man and masquerades as a scientist when he feels the need, having an obvious love for chemistry and the like. Dilan, Aeleus, and then there was probably the most impressive of his new team, Xehanort.

Xehanort had won awards for his work, had been the head of many other medical teams and had spent years studying the mental behavior of not only people, but animals. According to him, at times of stress and fear, they were one in the same. Of course, all of this was stated in the records that had been submitted just the day before by the new team themselves. Ansem had yet to look up his own information on them, but for now…He was exhausted.

He wonders idly when he'd get to see Kairi again, or Naminé for that matter, as he stands up and piles his belongings together, readying himself for the half hour drive home. He glances out the window, sighs again. As he walks out of his office and out the door he nods curtly to Ienzo, probably the youngest of his new employees, and walks down the hall.

When he's finally at his home, he drops his work on the couch, yawns, walks over to his laptop and unhooks it from the wall. On an impulse, he turns it on and opens up a folder he hasn't touched in at least a month and half. It holds a simple name, "Kairi". He doesn't think as he brings the computer to the couch, nestling himself between the arm and his pile of work, and clicks on a random file labeled "EVP-5".

He turns the volume up, yawns as he waits.

A loud, drawn, agonized wail greets him and he jumps, grunts and runs a hand down his face. He rubs sleep from his eyes with the second wail, the screaming starts and he wonders why the hell he had to click on _this-_

"_Go in the light!" _

"_SORA!" _

Kairi screams, that rabid, angry, _getthefuckawayfromhim_ yell that resulted with the third voice, the new one.

Ansem waits.

And waits.

And waits.

The hell-born chaos rages on, an occasional yell or cry from the two invisible fighters, but no third voice.

Ansem's fingers stop at the bridge of his nose as realization dawns on him. His hand slowly comes down, highlights the section in the EVP that should have held the voice. Still nothing.

Ansem groans.

"God, what have they gotten themselves into _now?",_ because, as usual, he knows that somehow he's going to get involved with who ever those voices belonged to.

* * *

_So, what'd you think? XD_

_I have no idea what's going to happen with this story, as usual, I didn't make a real plot xD just IDEAS. I usually do it this way, and the ending was a surprise even for ME. I was going to introduce a new Organization member, but the file I wrote up was on my laptop (he was going to come in earlier, but I wanted to have the members come in the way they're ranked, since that's how the game does it) and my mom has my laptop right now, in London. T.T So, he'll wait until next chapter. BTW, Roxy won't be joining us for a little while, I'm still thinking up how the hell that can work with this story xD _

_Leave a review on your way out! And sorry how I keep changing tenses with the narrative. I'm trying to go back to past, but present keeps working itself into the chapter, somehow. I'm sorry if it's confusing xD _

_Don't forget to tell me if you see a mistake, or if there's just something you wanna see in here. _


	10. Riku

_.... D: This chapter makes me SAD. _

_BUT this needs to happen for Roxy to join, so...this will last a few, you'll get what I mean when you read the end (you guys are going to kill me) um...I'll be hiding in the corner if you need me kthnxbai XD_

_Enjoy!...I hope xD  
_

* * *

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

_**---------**_

Two days after noticing that strange disappearance from his EVP, Ansem began to see other things.

Ienzo, for one, would seem not a day over twenty-five one day, and maybe seventeen the next. Many of Aeleus's patients were just downright terrified of him, some of which were so scared they would _beg_ nurses to be assigned to another doctor, or would even make a wide-eyed streak for the door within the first four minutes of sessions. And Xehanort? Well, he was just the most peculiar of all.

The room _darkened _when he walked in, lights toning down and shadows accumulating in the corners, though Ansem was sure it was all his imagination he knew very well that things weren't always as they seemed.

Another little tidbit he was sure to be surprised of- Kairi chose that day to visit him for the first time in a few weeks. He saw the light scars on her arms and decided to keep it to himself- She surely didn't need him fluttering around her like a mother.

Ansem sat with his feet up on his desk, not something he usually did seeing as he found it unprofessional, but it _was _Kairi. She was sitting in the plush seat across from him, transparent and all, and he had been sure to lock the door so no one would barge in on him talking to her, and then be surprised at the fact that she _wasn't there._

Kairi crossed her arms and smiled, "_How are things here?" _ she tilted her head to the side just a bit, hair falling in her face.

Ansem shrugged, deciding he'd share his new discovery with her later, when she wasn't looking so…stressed. "Same as ever, hired a few new doctors, all boring things to you. Tell me about their world."

Kairi giggled just a little, a cute girlish laugh that matched the sunshine pooling through the window. "_It's nice, beautiful. Naminé and I are happy, you'd like it. Although…"_ she looked away, "_There are some new issues to deal with." _

"Oh?" Ansem brought his feet back down and planted them on the ground, easing forward and clasping his hands together, resting them on the desk.

"_There's this new bad guy, Xemnas. He's like…A piece of the bad Ansem left behind. He's got this group of people called "Nobodies" or something…I don't know. They're scary though, they won't leave us alone and we're outnumbered." _

Ansem furrowed his brow, "I do hope you're being safe, Kairi."

Kairi bit her lip, nibbling on tender pink flesh, and jumped at the knock on the door. Ansem stood, motioned for Kairi to wait, and moved around the desk to open the door. Kairi followed him, curiousity getting the best of her.

In the doorway stood a tall man, about Ansem's height, in a white lab coat holding a clipboard. Kairi saw Xehanort and froze, and she could've swore his eyes touched hers just briefly before he turned his attention to Ansem. A moment later and he turned on his heel and walked stiffly down the hall, Ansem shut and locked the door in his wake.

When he turned back around Kairi seemed even more pale than before, though he was sure it was just the transparency, before she pointed a shaking finger, "_What is HE doing here?!" _

He raised an eyebrow, "Who? Xehanort? He's a new doctor I hired."

Kairi faltered, backed up, "_I…I have to go now. I'll be back in a day or two- Stay AWAY from him, okay? He's…There's something wrong with this."_ Before Ansem could say anything, Kairi faded so quickly he barely had a chance to blink and she was gone.

-------

Kairi all but kicked the glass door to her "pod" open- it was an egg shaped device that laid on it's side, white opaque glass and comfortable leather lining inside. When she slipped inside it was like diving through dreams, on the days when it decided to work for her (she had asked once why the machine would give her a hard time sometimes, Sora had said it had something to do with the amount of energy she was putting forth) and like reaching for _something _when it didn't. She would grope through hazy figures and slow-walk through space, worlds, places she'd never seen (_didn'tWANT to) _and open her eyes in complete darkness, wider wider wider, for a tiny speck of light at the farthest point she'd ever seen. And she would run, and she would get there, breathless and exhausted and barely able to stay on her own two feet- she couldn't imagine how Sora and Riku had done it day after day, acted so fine, or even how they had managed it all night when she could hardly manage a good hour and half without flickering at least a little. The only thing she knew was this- direct sunlight was like a shot of adrenaline, and shadows was like having that adrenaline suddenly stolen away, sucked back up through a syringe and thrown away.

She grimaced, grunted, heaved herself over the two inch lip of the machine and landed easily. She took a moment to breathe and then started at a jog that turned to a run, gaining speed even as she shot up the stairs out of the room that she was in, colliding with a very tired looking Sora. He managed to keep them up with an "oof!" and by wrapping his arms around her, squeezing his eyes shut as Kairi's knee accidentally smashed into his groin, and spinning, though faltering slightly. He set Kairi down and she put her hands to her mouth as he went down, laughing a little despite herself.

"Sora! I'm sorry!"

Sora nodded, leaning over, and asked through a strained voice, "What's up?"

Kairi bit her lip, waiting a moment for him to straighten himself up, "I went to see Ansem at the hospital."

He nodded again, wiping a tear from his eye, "Yeah, Naminé told me. I was coming to see if you wanted to get something to eat."

Kairi smiled a little, "Sure but…" she looked away, "But Ansem hired these new doctors and one of them'-"

Sora put a finger on her lips, "Breathe."

Kairi reached up and pulled his hand back down, tracing his veins in his wrist, along the back of his hand. "He hired some new doctors," she took a deep breath, "And one of them is named Xehanort, and he looks just like Ansem- the bad one…I think…I think he saw me."

Sora was quiet for a moment and then, "We need The King."

--------

Naminé sat on her knees in the grass, fisting her fingers full of lush green grass, she sighed, felt the sun warming her back and smiled. There were a few soft footsteps and Riku sat down next to her.

"You all right?"

Naminé nodded, leaned her shoulder against his, "I'm okay. Stopping to smell the flowers."

Riku rolled his eyes but couldn't help the little smirk he found crawling to his lips. He put an arm around her, "Enjoying yourself then?" Another nod, "Good. Want to have lunch with Sora and Kairi today?"

Naminé grinned, "Okay!" and stood, Riku drawing himself up as well, she laced her fingers with his and tugged him towards the nearest entrance to the castle. She squeezed his hand, grinning wider as she felt him press his palm against hers just a little harder, squeezing back. It only took them a few steps before Vexen showed himself, a tri-colored oval forming from a pinpoint of purple in the air, smoke curling out like welcoming hands. Vexen stepped out with another member behind him, one taller and his hood over his eyes.

Riku halted, pulled Naminé behind himself and untangled his hand from her sudden vice grip. He felt her hands pull on the hem of his pockets, curling around the leather fabric like her life depended on it. He summoned his Keyblade, aimed at Vexen.

"Get outta here. Now."

Vexen smiled, a scary, lopsided, shapeless smile that bared his teeth and brought his brow down in a suggestive kind of look. He gestured towards the member behind himself, a grand sweep, "Oh, but don't you wish to see our newest member?"

The Nobody behind him took down his hood, blinking yellow eyes and brushing blue hair from his shoulders. Vexen grinned, "His name is Saïx, number VII." He gave Saïx a nudge with his arm, the Luna Diviner glanced at Vexen and nodded. Vexen leaned in just slightly and said in a lower voice, "The boy, not the girl." Saïx nodded.

The sword he called forth was large enough that Riku said over his shoulder, "Get out of here. Find Sora."

Naminé shook her head, "I'm not leaving you!"

Vexen laughed as Saïx fixed his grip on the Claymore and started forward, "What makes you think you'll be allowed to leave?" He was gone in a flash, reappearing behind Naminé so fast she barely got away, jumping back all the while avoiding Riku, she tripped over her own feet. It was an automatic response for Riku to take his eyes off Saïx for a moment, he was coming slow anyway, and turn and throw a shot at Vexen.

"Naminé, GO!" He deflected a weak ice projectile (what Naminé would only be able to refer to as a "snowball" later) from Vexen and was about to turn back when the Nobody threw another, and another, Riku tossing them right back just as quickly.

Naminé screamed, "RIKU, NO!"

There was a flash of something like pain, a brief pinch before shock settled in as Riku stopped, Vexen grinned and halted his attack too. Riku looked down at the spike from Saïx's Claymore, barely registering what it was he saw, it stuck out from his stomach coated in his own blood. Naminé's hand came to her lips and she managed to get to her knees, seeing first the animal look in Saïx's eyes, the need for blood, and the grin on Vexen's face. Riku's Keyblade disappeared, he stumbled as Saïx ripped his sword away and red sprayed the ground like paint, droplets on Naminé's dress and face.

"R…Riku?" Naminé made it to her feet just as his face twisted into something similar to fear and agony, she reached out and Saïx wrapped his arms around Riku's chest, just under his own arms, and Vexen opened a portal.

He grinned, "Thank you, Naminé, for the distraction."

Naminé screamed. She screamed as Riku was dragged back into that horrible portal, and she screamed as Vexen faked a laugh for her sake, waving merrily as the door closed, and she kept screaming until Kairi and Sora and Mickey and Donald and Goofy came running out. When Kairi got to her sister, Naminé crumbled against her and watched Sora's face pale as he saw the blood speckled on her.

Behind them, the last wisps of the dark portal were fading, black remnants in the sky.

* * *

_.......*hides*_

_Umm....please leave a review on your way out XD _

_Don't worry, you'll see what happens soon. My other computer is being a butt and decided to commit suicide a week ago, so I wrote this chapter up in two days and well... here XD Update should be about a week, maybe up to the two week mark since I have midterms D: _

_Um...I'm sorry? XD_

_Review plez, lemme know what you think, if you see grammatical errors and the _like.


	11. Weapon

_Yay for early updates! _

_Enjoyyyy and be sure to check my profile poll when you're done! :D_

_

* * *

_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

_

* * *

_

It was dark. That was the only thing he knew.

He wasn't in much pain, he was cold, but the pain was gone. He felt like he'd been dipped in ice water and left out to dry, shivering, gooseflesh rising all over. He kept his eyes shut- there was no point in opening them to such bitter darkness, there was no light to see, nothing to save him or warm him. Only cold, deep, desolate darkness.

When Riku first woke up, he found himself not caring. It was dark, he was alone, that foul stench all around and his legs too tired to walk, his arms too weak to move. He tasted blood on his lips, he couldn't breathe through his nose (Every breath he took, he felt pins and needles- he'd broken it before and it felt just the same). He'd fallen asleep with his face in his hands, cold steel around his wrists, ankles, a thick cotton blindfold around his eyes. He was leaning against what felt like a wall, maybe sheetrock, something smooth and _sofuckingcold_ he shivered, tried to think.

It was a trick, he knew, he'd realized the second before Naminè had screamed that he'd left himself wide open. He had known what was coming and still he kept his back turned- all to protect Naminè.

(_Holding a crying Naminè in his arms, he pressed her close to his chest; she rested her head over his heart and listened to the soft beat. Two days after Ansem had attacked her and she felt worthless, weak, pathetic, she had clawed the sheets off the bed in a night terror and almost gave him a black eye when he tried to wake her up. She had her arms around him and he buried pale fingers in her hair, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, catching her scent, breathing. She cried. _

"_I'm…" she gasped, shuddered, remembered the dream, coughed, "Pa-__**thetic**_." _She gasped, "Worthless." _

_Riku shook his head, held her tighter. She was in his lap, sitting on his legs, he pulled them in a little closer too. One hand still in her hair, the other rested on her back. "Never." He kissed her, "I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see your artwork everyday, if I couldn't see _you_ everyday."_)

And where was Naminè now?

He didn't know. He prayed she was safe, but he had his doubts because…Well, there were so many of them now.

Xemnas, Xigbar, Vexen, Saïx, Lexaeus, Xaldin, Zexion- Seven in all and he knew Sora could handle himself, The King too, but Kairi? Naminè? Donald and Goofy could maybe protect them, but for how long?

He shook his head, tried to think.

When Riku had first been taken, he was maybe two or three minutes from death. Aside from bleeding out, he wasn't Superman; he couldn't live with a gaping hole in his chest. No one could. But they had wanted him alive, for some reason, so they'd healed him the second they got him to their world. He'd woken up tied up, having passed out from sheer exhaustion, and he still didn't have much strength. One of the members had come in and started asking him questions, simple ones ("What's your name?" "What's your girlfriend's name?" All easy things) and then the harder questions came, the ones that warranted a hard beating if he got them wrong. He'd been in situations like this before, he knew what was coming.

He could still see Naminè's eyes, burned into his memory, bright blue and terrified.

He shifted and his shoulder cracked, bone scraping bone so fiercely he grit his teeth and stilled. His legs shook, his pants were soaking through with blood, there was some kind of gash (or _something_) on his upper leg- he felt it open like a hungry mouth with every quiver. His knees were bent, he was fairly certain he was missing a shoe, and his hair stuck to his head in a disheveled mess, a mix of blood and sweat. His lips cracked, he breathed and coughed and wished he just had something _warm._

_--------------_

On Disney, Naminè sighed and pulled off her sweatshirt. It had been a full six hours after Riku had been taken away and she'd basically locked herself in their room and cried on the bed. It was cold, but she'd been nestled between a pile of soft blankets and a mattress, plus the sweatshirt she'd taken off. Outside, Donald and Goofy stood watch over her door, listening for any sort of noise.

They knew better than to knock when she cried.

Naminè had been surprised, she'd thought Sora and The King would be mad that she didn't try to help him, but they seemed to understand. They were busy rounding up any sort of help they could get, they were getting Riku back.

She was going to be ready for it.

A while back, a few days after Ansem had been killed, Naminè had been terrified of being alone, and though Riku was always there she didn't feel safest at night. So, to remedy that little fear, Riku had brought her something special. What felt like weeks ago now, when she'd asked him to teach her to fight, she had planned on learning to use it, but she had a grip on it just from watching him, she thought anyway.

Naminè fussed around under the bed for a minute, pulling heavy weight forward, she hefted it up and sat on the bed, resting it in her lap.

(_"Naminè," Riku held the strange looking weapon out to her, "Come here." _

_She crawled off the bed, tilted her head and walked next to him, "What's that?" _

_Riku took her hand in his and placed it over the sword's hilt, he smirked a little as he let go and she grabbed with the other hand, falling forward a bit as he let go completely. Naminè smiled and laughed at herself. _

"_It's a gift," he said. Riku came around behind her put his hands on her shoulders, "So maybe you'll feel a little safer, all right?" _

_Naminè blinked, "Really?" Riku nodded, "What's it called?" _

_Riku scratched the side of his nose, "Soul Eater.")_

He'd never gotten a chance to teach her how to use it, but he had taught her a nifty little trick- he'd told her that hiding a weapon, like how he hid his Keyblade and Sora his own, wasn't restricted to Keyblades only. All she had to do was call out to it with her heart, and it'd come.

Naminè set Soul Eater on the bed, ran her fingers over the strangely serrated edge, and then sat back. She held her hand out and tried her best.

The sudden weight in her hands almost made her fall off the bed, but she pulled up and narrowly missed slicing her own ear. Smiling a little, she got her grip on it and stood up, swung, and frowned.

This would take longer than she thought.

----------

When Sora had finally gotten back from recruiting soldiers (it'd take them a few days to round up everyone, get themselves ready and all, but they'd come) he'd gone down to Kairi's dance studio, ready to tell her about his day and show her the gift _he'd _gotten her while away, when he heard the music blasting.

Sora opened the door and stood in the doorway, seeing his reflection staring back on the other end of the room through the mirrors. Kairi's dancing had taken a strange turn- it was…well, _vicious._ It looked more like she was fighting something than dancing. She kicked, she flipped, she stuck a handstand and rolled down and it was then that Sora realized what she was doing- training.

He smiled and leaned against the doorway, though worry stood in his eyes, and crossed his arms. When the song was over a few minutes later Kairi stood and shut off the stereo, having seen Sora walk in before. She turned to him and met him halfway.

She was speechless when she saw the gift- the _weapon_- he'd bought especially for her.

--------

Xemnas stood beside Vexen, arms crossed behind himself and wearing an unmistakable air of regality, head held high like he owned the worlds. Vexen was hunched over a computer keyboard, fingers tap-tapping away at letters forming words and codes and things Xemnas really didn't care about, what he cared about, in the simplest sense of the word, was what Vexen had created.

The computer screen, which was about as wide as Xemnas was tall, turned blue, white text at the top left corner and a flashing cursor; _**Replica Program**_.

Vexen typed a few moments more, moved the mouse down to a little box that said "Name:"- _R.I.K.U._

Xemnas smiled, another fake corpse smile, and patted his comrade on the back, "Excellent."

Vexen gave him a fake smile too, "Oh, but that isn't _all_ Superior." He waggled a finger and opened another file. "That one's just an experiment, a test run. The _real_," he coughed, "_Ideal_ project is this." Vexen moved the mouse to that same little Name box again and typed- _R.O.X.A.S._

Xemnas's fake smile grew. He reached into his pocket, pulled something out and tossed it on the lab bench as he walked away.

Vexen called to him, "What's this?" He picked up the tiny silver key and raised an eyebrow.

Xemnas said as he walked out the door, "The key to Riku's cell."

--------

…_..I figured it ouuuuuut~_

_You want Roxas? You'll get Roxas. :D_

_You liked it~ And btw I SO didn't enjoy that beginning DX Anyone have any ideas for Kairi's weapon? There's a poll on my profile~_

_Leave a review on your way out, have a great week my lovely reviewers 3 _


	12. Theory

_I'm sorry this took so long! I had writer's block halfway through, but I forced it out XD So...if it starts sucking halfway through, I'm sorry, I'll make it up next chapter. _

_Enjoy!~  
_

_**

* * *

Darkness or Dawn**_

* * *

Ansem sighed, closing the door to a patient's room behind himself. He held a clipboard in his left hand, the doorknob in the right, and he hovered for a moment before he let it go. Tumblers slid into place as the lock caught, through the tiny five inch window in the door, a man with long silver hair sat, green eyed, staring back at Ansem.

Another new patient, convicted serial killer put in to his institution on a plea of insanity rather than the death sentence.

Ansem looked back down at the clipboard, glanced through the window and shook his head. His hospital really wasn't meant for the criminally insane, but Aeleus had asked that this be a one time exception, and Aeleus himself would be watching over him.

Ansem seriously thought the new patient, "Sephiroth" (he doubted it was his real name), was some kind of demon. None of the other patients would go near him, none of the other doctors would and the orderlies just seemed on edge around him.

Shaking his head, Ansem started down the hall, aiming for his office. Braig passed him by and nodded to him, Ansem nodded back but mentally cringed- Kairi's reaction to Xehanort alone was enough to make him reconsider how he'd been watching his new employees. He _had_ noticed that they all seemed to apply at the same time; all came from the same previous institution. Another thing? All their patients had a sort of…_change_.

Aeleus's were afraid of him but always listened, always answered his questions. Even's all seemed to be a little more lively, a little more irked, or just down right annoyed whenever an orderly would try and help them around. Dilan's were always staring out the window, something one would expect from a patient, but it was more than just a stare but…a fixation? Yes, something like that.

Xehanort's all had a new intense fear of the dark.

He shook his head and threw open the door to his office, ready to put his work down for an hour so he could enjoy his lunch. And he would have too- if Kairi hadn't been sitting on his desk, her back to him and playing with what looked like the gag-gift stress doll he kept on the left corner of his desk, right beside the phone. She wasn't wearing her pink dress; she was actually in what looked like a pair of sweats and a huge sweatshirt (it was Sora's), her hair was pulled up in a messy red bun, the sunlight made it a shock of pigment in Ansem's dull beige room. She started, turned as he opened the door and waved.

The door slid shut behind him.

--------------

Vexen sighed, sliding his palm slowly down his face, stopping briefly to rub his eyes. Creating a replica was a hard process, time consuming. He'd managed to put in all the data needed in a few hours, now it was downloading, creating space, adding color and textures, senses, nerves and organs and tissues and bones, deleting unnecessary information (And by the way, what the fuck did '_buffering'_ mean?). Vexen was wiped, exhausted, and the estimated time slot read, still, about seven hours. And that was only the _first _portion of creating his replica. Then, once it was created, there was moving it to a "pod", more or less what was a huge test tube that went from ceiling to floor, about four feet in diameter. He'd have to fill it with a fluid that would keep the newborn alive while he charged it with positive energy (it was almost like a mother's womb, in a sense, with the exception that the replica wasn't alive yet, and the positive energy would react with the fluid and actually _make _it live).

He had a theory though, that if he added all the data correctly, if his test run of his new hardware worked according to plan, then _this_ Riku would have everything the real one had, all the strength, the power, maybe even the love he held for Naminè. If that last part was true, if the replica was the same in every aspect, then he also wondered if it would have the same memories.

It was far fetched, that last little portion, but it was worth a shot. Technically, he wasn't cloning Riku, he didn't actually take any DNA- he only took data, observations.

They'd moved Riku, the real one, into his lab the day before. He was lying in a cage in the corner, still tied and blindfolded- although now he sported a few more injuries. He'd put up a fight when they tried to move him, Vexen couldn't blame him, they _had _been talking about how they were going to "dispose" of him once they'd gotten what they needed- A.K.A. the experimental replica. However, with the three of them, Lexaeus, Xaldin and himself moving him his efforts were futile.

In a few days, when his first experiment was complete, then he'd begin making Roxas, a synthetic modeled after Sora. He would use a Keyblade too, and if Vexen could work it right, be just as strong.

---------

Riku rested his head against the bars to his little prison, eyes shut tight behind his blindfold. Everything ached and there was only one thing he wanted.

He breathed deep and coughed out the exhale, cracked lips breaking open. He tasted blood and didn't care. Somewhere in the back of his mind he considered using the Darkness to rip open a portal and get himself the hell out of there, but as soon as his heart reached out to touch it he felt himself grow weaker. He didn't have the strength.

It had been hours now, and though he'd managed to keep his sanity he doubted how much longer he could live in surroundings like this and keep every part of his mind intact. He had one thing on his mind and one thing only, because escaping wasn't an option as he was clearly outnumbered.

He just wanted to see Naminè. Just once.

Sighing, Riku tried to get as comfortable as he could and waited.

-----------

"So you believe Xehanort is a reincarnation of a Heartless?"

Kairi shook her head, "_No, he IS that Heartless, just in another form. We killed him a year ago, but he faded back into Darkness. He must've found a way to get here, somehow."_

Ansem pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezing shut, brow furrowing as he leaned on his elbow and drummed his fingers on his desk, "And…My _other_ employees?"

Kairi tilted her head, _"Well….Name them."_

Ansem sighed, sat back, counted off his fingers, "Aside from Xehanort- Braig, Aeleus, Even, Ienzo…"

"_Xigbar, Lexaeus, Vexen, Zexion…."_

"So, in other words, this world is in danger?"

Kairi nodded, "_As usual."_

Ansem ran his hands slowly down his face, words slurred as he said, "And what are you expecting me to do about this?"

Kairi looked down at her feet, "_I'm sorry. We haven't gotten that far yet. We're kind of scrambling at the moment, I shouldn't even be here. I promised Sora but…" _She looked up, "_I had to warn you." _

Ansem looked at her, raised an eyebrow and asked quietly, "You're in trouble, aren't you?"

Kairi nodded, bit her lip and said, "_They captured one of our friends-Riku. We don't even know if he's still alive anymore. We're attacking tomorrow, I think." _

"Be careful, Kairi." Kairi nodded, took a step back into a shaft of light from the window. The outline of her form started to sparkle white, sequins in the sunlight, red around her hair.

"_I have to go. Be safe."_

Ansem nodded, stood, "You too."

She smiled as she faded out completely, waking up on Disney just as Sora walked into the room, stopping with his arms crossed. She smiled sheepishly.

On her home world, Ansem stood and unlocked his door, but not before making up his mind about what to do.

When Kairi had been under his care the year before, he had relied on science, technology, basic therapy to coach her through her "episodes" and had promptly been proven wrong. E.V.P.s, videos, personal experiences, injured employees and one dead patient. A nurse that stumbled and moved like a marionette doll on invisible strings, a Heartless playing puppet master on the other end.

All of it had started with one simple voice on one simple audio recording.

He had a theory, and if he was right then Kairi was right, and if she was right then he was in trouble.

Walking down the hall, he passed by Aeleus. He had Sephiroth in tow- he smiled in Ansem's direction and Ansem looked away. Another theory sprouted and he was quick to both ignore it and cut it down- he didn't need to be afraid of his patients.

A few more minutes of walking, a wave to Demyx, one of the head orderlies now (he still had scars from that one particular night) and Ansem stopped in front of the door to Xehanort's room. He knocked sharply twice, inhaling and standing straighter. Xehanort opened the door, looked Ansem over and then stepped to the side. Ansem walked in.

"Xehanort," he started, glanced at said doctor, "I was hoping to do a performance review. I _am_ your superior after all, and I need to make sure everyone does their jobs right."

Xehanort nodded, "Of course."

'_Did the room just get dimmer?'_ "I need a few video recordings of your sessions, two or three is enough."

Xehanort nodded again, moved stiffly to the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a file, handed it to Ansem. "Background information. That one's the latest." Ansem nodded, surprised at how easy it was, and turned and walked back out. He had no intention of staying.

In home therapy sessions, it was a violation of privacy to share information on one case with another doctor without consent. However, here, he owned the building, and he could do whatever he wanted. He couldn't help the small victory smile as he walked down the hall, turned the corner and hit the "up" button on the elevator. In a matter of minutes his theory would be either proven or disproved. He had a feeling he was right.

* * *

_:D?_

_Oh, and I bet the suspense is killin' ya xD _

_Kairi's weapon comes out next chapterrrr~ I'll make it longer than this, promise. _

_Don't forget to review on your way out ;)  
_


	13. Savior:::Believe

_Grrr....I'm sorry the heading on this one is so screwed up, FF doc manager is fighting me on this xD Anywayyyy~ I have break this week, so I'll update soon again, if I can. I tried to make this chapter longer, enjoy!_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

_

* * *

_

It had been one day. A full twenty-four hours had passed by- Waking up in the morning without Riku's arms around her had been lonely, to say the very least and not being able to feel the beat of his heart against her back had been even worse. Naminé had hardly slept that night, Soul Eater tucked beneath a pillow and her arm angled just right, perfectly discreet with her hand wrapped around the hilt. She had been practicing as much as she could without instruction, learning the basics for herself.

When the sun had started to rise, casting blood colors and orange in the room she had felt so small and alone, silhouettes and shadows dancing on the walls. She missed the familiar feel of the bed dipping in towards her back, where Riku should have been, or the soft rustle of sheets as he climbed in and out of the bed. She'd swapped their pillows that night, for the one soul reason that his smelled like him. Flower coconut shampoo. His favorite.

Kairi had brought in a tray of food a few hours ago, sat down on the bed and held Naminé while she cried, just for a little while. In that time Naminé idly remembered her mother; beautiful, sitting in the backyard with a book on her lap especially in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. If watched long enough, she would click the book light she had off and stare up at the stars. Seeing moonlight play in her hair, as if she was a woman Naminé didn't know, someone she hadn't met yet, was both scary and exciting.

There was someone hidden beneath the surface in everyone, it seemed.

--------

Ansem sighed, holding his head in his hands and stuck in his office. He'd locked the door again, holed up in his office for what seemed like the ten thousandth time that week. The day before, he'd had a theory he only semi-doubted.

If Xehanort and his other new doctors were Heartless, then they would leave some form of evidence just like Kairi's little friends did because….Because they always did, when it came to Kairi's case, they _always _left some kind of footprint, a track in sand.

Of course he had found it.

His hands moved from his face, sliding up slowly to his forehead, fingers finding blond hair that was slightly unkempt from the fact that after grabbing Xehanort's files the day before, he hadn't come out of his office. He'd refused.

Kairi was right. And now not only was this world in danger, but he was standing next to a silent but ticking time bomb, and he didn't know how he, alone, one man, would diffuse it.

He sighed, much the way he had when he'd first heard Sora's voice along with Kairi's on a video of their sessions; a deep, drawn out gust of air that seemed to say, '_Okay. Now what?'_

He reached out, tapped the mouse over the play button and listened again.

_Xehanort shuffled a few of his papers together in that 'I'm-a-doctor-this-is-what-I-do' kind of way of his. He pushed them under a manila folder and then pressed his fingertips together, brow furrowing. The door had been shut behind his patient, a quaking, thin girl with short black hair. Her lips trembled and her eyes were wide pools of brown, her skin pale beneath the lights. _

_Xehanort started, "Yuffie." She jumped, "Can you tell me more about the dreams you talked about last time? About the men in black?"_

_Yuffie's voice shook, "Yes." _

_Xehanort motioned for her to continue, the camera flickered, then flashed to black and white, a white band ran down the screen. It was a new camera; things shouldn't happen to it like that. _

_The lights dimmed and Yuffie curled up more, drawing her knees close to her chest and her arms around them. "Go on, Yuffie." _

_Yuffie breathed deep and said, "They always say the same thing." _

_Xehanort leaned in, elbows resting on the brushed metal table. The lights flickered again, "What do they say?" Yuffie looked away, bit her lip and stayed quiet. "Yuffie," Xehanort shifted and moved as if he would stand, but stayed seated. "Are you still afraid of the dark?"_

_It was a viable tactic when it came to talking to patients that had trouble with certain subjects. At first, to Ansem, it had seemed all right, a little iffy, but all right. Switching subjects during conversation sometimes led a patient to feel like they were running in circles, or there was no point to the therapy because the doctor speaking to them just flat out didn't care what they talked about- it helped them relax, take their mind off the one subject they hated most. It was a little mean- the doctor would have to bring it up again full force at some point when the patient least expected it, if only to catch them off guard and get a real answer. _

_The lights went out, just as Yuffie raised her head and opened her mouth to speak. She screamed, loud. _

_In the darkness of the room, for the split second before Ansem turned the lights back on and went to calm Yuffie down, there came one set of yellow eyes. They were lanterns in the thin membrane of the world, leading the way for their friends, one set first and just before the lights flicked back on, at least a dozen. They moved, crooked and dancing, hopping from left to right and left again. _

_Yuffie scratched at her legs and kicked and screeched- she hit the metal table and knocked it over, slammed her fists against Xehanort's chest and clocked him a good one in the jaw, knocking him back. She streaked for the door and was met by two of Seventh Heaven's previous orderlies, Cloud and Tifa. _

_As she was being dragged down the hall, Yuffie screamed behind her, "HEARTLESS! YOU'RE HEARTLESS!" _

_Xehanort looked at the camera and smirked, and for a moment his eyes glowed. Yellow. The picture turned black and white again, changed just as Xehanort turned and headed for the door. As he shut the door the lights, not the camera, moved. The golden on the walls danced, creatures with long black claws and strange twisted antennae crawled and lurched and moved- shadows on the walls. _

Ansem had turned all the lights on in his office, sat down at his desk and simply stared at the files he'd taken from Xehanort.

He wondered if even Kairi could help him now.

------------

They'd taken the blindfold off of him just a little while ago. The light had burned his eyes when he first saw it, bright fluorescents and white washed walls. He'd pinched his eyes shut, his head starting to hurt, back aching, nose bloody and dry skin pulling at still healing wounds. His lips cracked and a moment later when he'd opened his eyes again, still adjusting, Lexeaus stood over him. He was a towering shape, blurry and unfocused in a world of too bright colors and piercing lights.

Lexeaus reached down with a giant hand, his fingers grabbed at the matted mess that was Riku's hair and _pulled_. Riku squeezed his eyes shut as he was yanked to his feet, his head hurting too much already for him to care about the fact that his hair was being ripped from his head. His legs shook, his entire body a mass of pain, he fell to his knees once as they made him walk and Lexeaus yanked his hair again, pulling him back to his feet.

He was shoved against the edge of a metal lab table, the wind knocked from him. Lexeaus's fingers were in his hair again and his face was tilted up, angled to stare at the newborn, newly alive _thing_ in front of him.

Its skin was white, translucent. Purple and blue veins a network beneath paper, its hair soaked to its skull. It shivered as Vexen wrapped it in a blanket; it was a sick, motherly movement, draping the thick blanket around its shoulders. Its fingers worked, trying them out, eyes wide, lips blue. Its skin pricked with gooseflesh.

Riku stared at the Replica for a long time until his face twisted to a snarl and he said, "What's _that_ supposed to be?"

Vexen looked up and the Replica stumbled, shocked at the new voice, and looked up too. Their eyes met.

Vexen said, "He's a Replica, of you. It's why we needed you, Riku, you're our experiment. If all goes well with him…" Vexen smirked, "Imagine, Riku, how great our numbers could be if I could _make _Nobodies!" Vexen grinned and helped the Replica to a chair.

It sat down heavily and pulled the blanket tighter around itself, it looked up to Vexen, "Who…" it's voice was a creak, vocal chords unused and straining, "Who…am I?"

Vexen knelt in front of it, treating it like a child. "Your name is Kurix."

Riku growled, "You _made _my Nobody?!"

Vexen smirked, "Just wait until _Naminé_ sees him."

Riku struggled against the restraints, giving a sudden tug, his whole body shook and Lexeaus shoved him back against the table, "You stay away from her!" His hair fell in his face. He grit his teeth as Lexeaus grabbed his hair again, pulling him back.

"Take the _dog_ to his cage." Vexen waved him off easily, turning his nose up and tending back to Kurix, fussing over him.

Riku wondered, as the blindfold was shoved over his eyes again, if he'd really ever get out.

----------

Sora and Kairi were in the garden when Naminé finally came out of her room. Sora was showing Kairi how to use the weapons he'd gotten her, going over it for hours, again and again, basics and a few little tricks he decided she'd need to know.

Kairi twirled her weapons easily enough, they were light-weight metal, aerodynamic for sure. Sora had taught her how to summon them, how to stand and step. It was her job to figure out just how she wanted to carry them, how she wanted to go about an attack if she ever had to (and she knew she would).

Naminé stopped ten feet from the two; Sora had his Keyblade out, pulled up in front of his face to block Kairi's attack. The spikes from her weapon were a few inches from his face. He grinned pushed her back and she skipped to keep her balance. Kairi half turned; bent one elbow and twirled what Sora had called her "Chakram" in her hand. The other she twirled once, pulled back her leg nearest to him and threw herself forward, bringing her back arm down first, then the front up. Sora blocked the first and jumped back from the second,

"Good- but try using a little more force."

Kairi stopped, put her hands on her hips, "Well, excuse me for not wanting to hurt you."

Sora rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Kairi."

Naminé took a few steps forward and cleared her throat, the two turned to her.

"Hey." Kairi waved,

Naminé nodded, "Hi…What are those?"

Sora walked over to Kairi and pulled one of the Chakrams from her hands, twirled it through the air. He grinned, "Just got Kairi a little present, they're Chakrams." He paused, looked at the weapon in his hand, "A little girly on the paint job but-"

Kairi snatched it out of his hand, "Oh, shut it. You're the one that got them for me. Besides, _I_ think black and pink is a nice combination. Naminé?" she turned toher sister for support.

Naminé smiled, "Sure. Girly Girl."

Kairi rolled her eyes and twirled the Chakrams around, "Like you're one to talk, painting flowers all day."

Naminé huffed, and to Sora, they'd never looked like sisters more in that moment than any other moment he'd known them.

Naminé crossed her arms over herself and studied the grass for a moment, and the three were enveloped in a silence that seemed to need to be broken. She let her right arm hang down and called Soul Eater. Kairi stared, Naminé said, "Mind if I join you?"

--------------

Ansem had finally gotten the courage to venture out of his office, dropping the videos he'd gotten from Xehanort off in his mailbox on his office door, when he walked into a familiar face- someone he was glad to see.

"Dr. Leonhart?" Ansem rubbed his eyes with his free hand for a moment, the other holding on to his ever present clipboard.

The man in front of him nodded, crossed his arms over his rather casual clothing, black pants and a white shirt. He seemed almost embarrassed to be there, his old workplace, "I need to talk to you."

Ansem nodded, glanced around and found that they were in the main lobby for that floor; most of the patients were in their rooms or outside, it was a beautiful day. He motioned for the wooden table in the corner; there were two plastic fold-up chairs and a discarded pile of board games next to it. It took a moment for them both to get comfortable; Ansem's eyes kept wandering to Yuffie, sitting a crumpled heap on one end of the plush yellow couch in the center of the room, and Sephiroth on the other end.

"What can I do for you, Squall?"

He held up his hand, shook a bit of hair from his face. Ansem noticed the scar running over the bridge of his nose, remembered the night the Axel had been murdered and realized that since that night, he actually hadn't seen Squall. He vaguely recalled a letter of resignation in his mail the next day. "It's Leon now."

Ansem nodded, "All right."

Leon crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, "I run a private practice from my home, and I've been noticing something with my patients. I was wondering if you've had the same issue."

Ansem folded his hands on the table and sent a sideways glance at Sephiroth, "What's the issue?"

"All of my patients, even the ones that had no fear of it before, have been showing signs of a serious phobia of the dark."

Ansem froze. On the couch, Yuffie curled into herself tighter and tilted her head towards him. Her lips moved silently. "Yes. I've had the same issue."

Leon rested his elbows on the table, nodded in Yuffie's direction, "Something up with her?"

Ansem shook his head, "The man on the couch next to her doesn't belong here. He's a serial killer." Leon raised his eyebrows, "One of my newer doctors vouched for him. And her…" an idea formed in his head, "Leon, come with me for a moment. I need to show you something."

Leon nodded, stood, "It has to do with Axel, doesn't it?"

Ansem raised his eyebrows and smiled just a tad, "Always were rather intuitive weren't you?"

Leon glanced around the room, "Ever since that night, and then the Mayor's daughters disappearing…" He crossed his arms, "Something's up, I've known it for a long time now."

"I wish I could tell you that you were wrong," He stuck his clipboard under his arm, "But unfortunately-"

Yuffie screamed. Both men jumped, found Sephiroth had moved in a matter of seconds from his perch on the end of the couch to hers, his hands around her neck. As they started to move forward, a familiar orderly came around the corner. He was there in a flash and, one arm around Sephiroth's neck and another fisted in his hair, pulled Sephiroth back and dragged him off the couch. At that moment Aeleus rounded the corner, a syringe in his hand. Demyx ran past him and pulled Yuffie, who was in hysterics, off the couch.

Cloud threw Sephiroth to the floor, shoved his knee against the man's back and simultaneously yanked his hair back again.

Aeleus jabbed the syringe in Sephiroth's arm and his struggles ceased almost immediately. Cloud stood slowly, Leon said, "Good work."

Cloud did a double take, nodded, "Funny seeing you here."

Aeleus stood; one hand wrapped around Sephiroth's upper arm, and tugged him in the other direction towards his room.

"Shhh, its okay, Yuffie." Demyx had his arms around Yuffie; she had pressed her face to his chest and drew her arms tight around him. There were already light purple bruises forming on her neck.

"My heart, he wants my _heart_."

Demyx shook his head, "No one wants to take your heart, Yuffie."

She drew away quickly, her eyes were wild with fear, she trembled, "He's one of _them_. I'm not crazy; he's…He's…" Demyx put his hands on her shoulders, turned her and ushered her in the direction to her room.

Cloud let out a gusty sigh, "He shouldn't be here."

Ansem rubbed his forehead, "I agree."

"Get him out of here then."

Ansem shook his head, "It isn't as easy as that. Aeleus assured the state we could maintain him. Unless something serious happens, he'll stay."

Leon glanced down the hall towards Yuffie's room, "What'd you want to show me?"

"Oh, I almost forgot. Come." He started forward, stopped, "Cloud, my office later, if you have the chance." Cloud nodded and Ansem went on, Leon trailed behind him, wary. As they walked down the hall, Ansem said, "I hope you have time. I have a number of things you need to see for you to understand."

Leon shrugged, "Unless one of my patients calls I have all day."

"Good." They turned the corner; Even and Xehanort passed them by. "Are you good friends with Cloud?"

"Huh?" Leon shook his head, "Sorry, yeah. I guess. He and Tifa share the same theory as I do."

Ansem cast a glance over his shoulder, "Oh?"

"Something's up."

Ansem chuckled, unlocked the door to his office and stepped back to let Leon through. "Pull a chair around the other side of the desk." He shut and locked the door behind himself, a new habit he had even if it didn't need to be locked. As Leon got comfortable, he sat down in his usual seat, scooted over a bit to give his friend some room, and opened up the folder titled "_Kairi"._

-----------

Two against one wasn't very good odds, but then again, it was Kairi and Naminé's first sparring lesson together and Sora was more experienced. However, between the two of them, he was getting pretty tired.

The moment Kairi hammered him with both of her Chakrams, he turned his Keyblade on its side and blocked, but that left him wide open when Naminé swept low and knocked his legs out from under him.

The girls high-fived their victory while Sora gave them a goofy grin, "See? Getting better all ready."

Kairi bounced from foot to foot, "Soraa_aaaa_!"

He rolled his eyes, "Go, go." She helped him up, pecked him on the cheek, "You've got an hour, okay? I don't like leaving you alone."

She nodded, "Naminé, I'm going to see Ansem, wanna come?"

Naminé shook her head, "I'm okay. Tell him I said hi, please?" Kairi nodded and turned, running off in the direction of the pod room. Naminé raised Soul Eater, "Another round?"

Sora grinned, "No holding back."

* * *

_UGHHHH. I don't know what the hell is wrong with it, hopefully the big double spaces between paragraphs won't be there when it's up on the site. :/_

_Anyway, tell me what you think, leave a review on your way out, please. :)_

_EDIT--- By the way, I SO owe Divine Wolfe for coming up with Riku's Nobody's name. 3 Thank youuu~ _


	14. Fight

_Hey there :) Sorry this took so long, it's hard to write when you have writer's block D: I'm working on getting over it, but I hope you like the new chapter. _

_Enjoy! _

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

* * *

Riku tried to sleep. There wasn't anything else he could do but that, and even then he could hardly manage a wink. It seemed every time he managed to get comfortable, another Organization member came into his cage, rattled the bars.

Following Vexen's insult on calling him a "dog", Xemnas himself had put a collar around his neck.

Riku could stand being starved; it wasn't like he hadn't been captured before. He could stand being tortured and beaten; the body heals over time. He could stand insults and ridicule; he always paid his enemies back tenfold. Humiliation was always a part of it, that feeling of falling, of being a little kid cornered by kids bigger and stronger and tougher. He'd like to see how tough they were when they were stabbed through the chest and tied down.

He wondered if Naminé would recognize him.

Kurix had sat down in the cage with him a little while ago, he could smell the…the Nothingness on him, that strange mix of dark and light, an essence caught between two realms. Not only that, but Kurix smelled a little like him, too.

Kurix cast a glance over his shoulder, around the room, and then reached out with tentative fingers and gently pushed the blindfold up over Riku's eyes. Riku squeezed them shut, blinked, stared at Kurix. Kurix stared back. His fingers ran down Riku's face, his bruised cheeks and cracked lips.

He breathed, "You really _are_ me."

Riku glared, "No," his voice was a whisper, his throat dry, "_You_ are _me._ I was born, you were created."

Kurix glared back now, "No wonder Vexen said to leave you alone." He yanked the blindfold back over Riku's eyes. Standing up he said, "I'll send Naminé your regards."

Riku found the strength to struggle for a brief moment before Kurix turned on him, shoved his heel against his chest. Riku gasped, "Stay away from her."

Kurix laughed, "I'll remember that."

----------

"OW." Sora dropped his Keyblade; his hands found his head and rubbed the new forming bump there.

Naminé let out a squeak and put her hands to her lips, letting Soul Eater disappear. "I'm sorry!"

Sora grinned, "That's okay, generally, hitting the bad guy on the head is a good thing."

"Bad guy, huh?" both Naminé and Sora jumped at the new voice. It was gruff, had a kind of accent to it neither could place.

Sora spun around, "Cid! You're here!"

Cid scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, well, ship's runnin' faster than we thought. I brought a friend like ya asked."

Sora nodded, turned back to Naminé, "Can you go get Kairi?"

Naminé looked up at the sky, putting her finger to her lips innocently, "Are you going to tell her I hit you in the head?"

Sora laughed, "Not if you don't tell her I almost broke your arm before."

"Deal." Naminé sped off in the other direction, towards the pod room.

Sora turned back to Cid, "So, where's your friend?"

Cid half turned, "Get out here, will ya?" He scratched the back of his head again, chewed on the toothpick hanging off his lip. He was wearing a grease smeared white shirt, blue sweat pants; he fiddled with the goggles he'd pushed up to his forehead.

From around the corner, Sora could hear the soft footsteps through the grass. A tall man with long black hair, pale skin, red eyes and matching cape stepped forward first, Donald and Goofy chattering beside him. He was mostly covered in black, a gun that could only be described as "_wow_" attached to his hip.

Cid hooked a thumb over his shoulder, "That's Vincent."

----------

"So you and your sister never actually went missing." It's a statement, not a question. The concept is so simple a five year old could understand it.

Leon ticked the bullets off in his head.

-The voices Kairi heard were real.

-She spent months of her life in an asylum she did not need to be a part of.

-The thing that killed Axel was a Heartless _thing_ from another world/dimension/whatever

-Naminé had been kidnapped by whatever killed Axel, and Kairi left to save her along with her friends, the "voices", Sora and Riku.

-They killed the Heartless, but couldn't return.

-The Heartless had found a way to their world, and they were in, to put it bluntly, deep shit.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, "Do her parents know?"

Kairi shook her head, knowing the question was directed at Ansem, "No, don't tell them or…"

Leon waved her off, "For how long now?"

Ansem stares at his desk, "Six months since the one year anniversary." He looked up at Leon, "You understand now?"

Leon nodded, "This should be fun to explain to Cloud and Tifa."

Outside, the sky was a dull gray, clouds covering the sun. Kairi turned to the window, flickered, put a hand to her head, "I'm sorry," she glanced back at the two men, "I have to go now."

Ansem nodded, "Be careful, Kairi."

Kairi smiled, waved to Leon, "See ya…" ribbons of light, a flash from behind the clouds, and she was gone.

* * *

Kairi opened her eyes slowly. She pressed her palms to the opaque white cover on the pod she was lying in, hearing the soft footsteps of her sister down the stairs, and pushed it up. She sat up, yawned, scratched the back of her head and smiled when she saw Naminé. She smoothed her hair down, Naminé held her hand out, "Sora wanted me to come wake you up. I think we're going to head out soon."

Kairi nodded, threw her legs over the side of the pod and grabbed Naminé's hand for balance. "Okay, we should get ready then."

* * *

Sora could only stare.

Kurix smirked; he twirled a strand of silver hair around his index finger. He was wearing the same clothes Riku wore; the same as the Organization, he looked like Riku, he was, in a twisted way, Riku.

As Kairi and Naminé rounded the corner, Kairi still wiping sleep from her eyes, Naminé stopped and stared too. Her eyes grew wide and she put a hand to her lips, she took a few steps forward. "R-Riku?"

Kurix's smirk turned to a smile; he opened his arms, "Naminé."

Kairi came up next to Sora, she laced her fingers in his and leaned against him, "There's something wrong here." She said it quietly, glancing at Kurix and Naminé as she did.

Sora spared a look back at Mickey, "I know. He should be hurt or….something."

Kurix pulled Naminé into his arms, "Hey."

"Is it…you?" she brought her hands to his face, leaned in, pressed their noses together. In his eyes, hers reflected back- it was all she could see. Naminé pulled back fast but he caught her, crushed her against him with his arms around her back.

"Shhh, don't want to get hurt, do you?" He whispered with his lips against her ear. Naminé eased back, testing how tight he held her, "How'd you know?"

She glared at him, "Your eyes are different. Riku's are-"

"Save the poetry." He smirked at Naminé's hurt expression, looked up at Sora. "So, how have you-"

Naminé smacked him. Kurix loosened his hold on her and she shoved him back, "You are NOT my Riku."

Before Sora and Kairi could reach them, Kurix had opened a portal to the Darkness, grabbed Naminé by her wrist and shoved her in. The wind played in his hair as he glanced back at the group of them; Sora, Kairi, Cid and Vincent. Sora and Kairi were halfway to him, breaking into a run when Naminé smacked him. His playful smirk turned to a glare, he rubbed the spot where Naminé's hand had connected with his face and stepped back into the Darkness. Sora managed to grab fistfuls of the arm of his coat, Kurix shook him off easily and the portal faded away.

Kairi dug her heels into the soft ground, her eyes narrowing. Sora stood quiet for a moment, nostrils flaring with angry breath.

"Do you like him?" The four turned, all eyes landing on the blue haired Nobody with the giant sword. He snapped his fingers and dozens of the lesser Nobodies, the Dusks and Dancers and such, appeared, wiggling out of dime sized holes in the air.

Sora and Kairi brought their weapons out; Sora glanced at Cid and Vincent, "Go check on The King and Queen."

They turned back to Saїx, "Well?"

--------

Naminé had landed on the dusty gray tiled floor of Vexen's lab, inches from the cage where Riku was being kept. She moaned, her eyes eased opened. The first sight that greeted her was Kurix standing over Riku, his fingers digging beneath the fabric of the blindfold and tearing it off.

Riku already knew she was there, her scent was like a light compared to putrid smell of the Nobodies. Naminé grabbed the bars of his cage without sitting up, "Riku!" He had slammed his eyes shut to keep the light out.

"Naminé…" Kurix kicked him, toes connecting with already fractured ribs. Riku grit his teeth.

"Bad dog."

Naminé pushed herself up, getting her knees underneath her and holding the cage for balance, she glared at Kurix, "Shut up."

Kurix raised his eyebrows, turned back to Naminé, "Excuse me?"

Naminé pulled out Soul Eater, "You heard me," she glanced at Riku, bruised and bloody and that new scar on his stomach, "Dick."

Kurix growled, kicked Riku again and stalked forward. He pulled out a sword that almost reminded Naminé of Ansem's- she wondered if Xemnas had done that on purpose. Kurix lunged at her and she stepped out of the way, hooked her foot with his ankle and pulled; Kurix stumbled, whipped around this time their weapons met.

Kurix smirked, "So the little girl's coming out to play."

Naminé was using all her strength just to keep his sword from slicing her neck open, her arms quivered, she felt the small tingle of sweat on the small of her back. She was pressed against the bars of the cage and she did what she had wanted to do since slapping him in the Garden, only now she had the opening.

Naminé brought her knee up sharply, Kurix jumped, froze, his face twisted and he moaned, letting go of his weapon to fall like a sack of bricks to the floor. He braced himself with his arm and his other hand was buried between his legs. Naminé grinned in victory.

She couldn't find it in herself to kill anything, not even Kurix, especially not him. He wasn't Riku, but he sure as hell looked like him, and she knew it'd be too hard. Instead, she gave him a swift kick to the head, catching him close to his temple, and he was out cold. She turned, knowing she didn't have much time before he either woke up or another Nobody found them, and ran into the cage, falling to her knees beside Riku.

He managed to open his eyes, thought one was swollen. He stared at Kurix, "Naminé, did you-"

She pulled him against herself, wrapping her arms around him and holding him to her heart, "You're _alive_."

He shifted, rattling the chains around him, "Yeah."

She kissed the top of his head, pressed her nose against his hair and held him a little tighter, "Can you walk?"

"Yeah. I don't know how you're planning on getting us out of here." He pulled back a little, resting his head on her shoulder, "There's no key."

"You're a Keyblade Master."

Riku rolled his eyes, "I can't use it on myself like this."

Naminé kissed the top of his head again, pushed him back against the wall, being as gentle as she could, and said, "Call it. Maybe I can use it for a minute."

"I don't know if this will work…" he called it forward; it was flat against the wall and pressed to the palm of his opened hand. He leaned forward as best he could and Naminé grabbed it, pointed it at him.

"Now what?" A beam of light shot out of the tip of the Keyblade, Riku's chains seemed to loosen.

He smirked, "That's it." He called it back, feeling comfort in the weight of it in his hand as he moved, got his legs underneath himself. Naminé smiled and helped him up, pulling an arm around her shoulders, her knees nearly buckling under the new weight. They took a timid step forward.

"You okay?"

Riku nodded, "I'm trying to open a path. We have to be quick; I can't hold it for long." A portal shot up from the ground, sprouting like a black flower. It pulsated, wavered, Naminé and Riku shuffled into it and it closed just as Vexen opened the door, rushing in to find Riku gone, Kurix sprawled across the floor and just coming to.

-----

Riku fell onto the bed, thankful for the warmth, plush cotton sheets, the _pillows_. He grabbed one and hugged it, his entire body aching. Naminé smiled, rubbed her hand against the small of his back and felt him tense.

"It's me," she leaned down, kissed his cheek. Her fingers were soft against his dirt covered skin.

He didn't relax, "I smell Nobodies."

Naminé reached down, grabbed one of the handles to a drawer at their nightstand. She yanked it open to find Riku's stash of little potions and things. The bottles clinked together lightly, twinkling sounds compared to the muffled footsteps running by the room. "Which one?"

Riku shifted, half turned, "Third from the right." Naminé nodded, handed it to him. He chugged it down and it never ceased to amaze her how they worked, melding bones back together, muscles easing, skin sewing back together almost lovingly. Riku pushed himself up. "Where are my sweatpants? Any idea?"

Naminé shook her head, "You want to go out and fight?"

He scratched the bridge of his nose, "This battle isn't over."

Naminé nodded, put her arms around him, "Hold me for a minute first, please." He wrapped her in his arms the way he always did. "You aren't gonna fight alone."

"I don't want you out there."

Naminé huffed, "I've been training with Sora and Kairi all day. You're still weak, you aren't going out alone, whether you like it or not. Your sweatpants are in probably stuffed somewhere in one of your drawers, you slob."

Riku smirked, pulled back, "Gee thanks, and just what are you going to do? Throw a paintbrush at them?"

Naminé grinned as he turned, limped over to his dresser. "You bet."

He shook his head, "Grab a few potions and get ready."

Naminé nodded, turned back to the open drawer and shoved a few potions into her pocket. She looked down at Soul Eater still in her hand. She wondered if it'd be easier to fight with Riku by her side.

* * *

_Sorry if it sucked DX I tried. I hope you like it~ _

_Leave a review on your way out, please :3 Next chapter will be up sooner, promise. _


	15. Scarred

_It occurred to me today that I hadn't worked at all on a new chapter, and while I am suffering from lack of plot ideas (the old file on my computer that I had stuffed them into is no longer working, figures) I at least can come up with some fluff for the time being. I didn't feel like doing a full battle scene, so hopefully this works. _

_I hope you enjoy, it's kinda filler-ish but also kind of informative :3 _

_Enjoy!_

----------

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

-------------

Naminé pressed her lips to Riku's cheek; he felt warm, his skin still damp from the shower he had thrown himself into after the fight. There were still Nobodies roaming around, but The King had sent castle reinforcements after them. Kairi and Sora had all but collapsed after their fight with Saїx, their eyes half lidded and movements slow.

Beside her, Riku snored softly. He'd fallen asleep with his back to her and arms wrapped around himself. After getting him dressed, Naminé had piled him with blankets and rubbed small circles on his back until he fell asleep. He mumbled something every now and again, his breath shortening, a sudden gasp here and there, but then all she had to do was touch him- a hand on his arm, fingers in his hair, a kiss on the cheek, and he'd relax again.

She couldn't imagine what he'd been through.

Her legs were trapped beneath her sketch pad, muscles aching a dull throb up tendons and sneaking into joints. She wiggled her toes, scooted a little closer to Riku, and grabbed a black colored pencil.

After the fight that day, seeing Riku twirl and hit with such vengeance she couldn't believe, seeing Kairi dance wickedly and beat back anything that threatened to hurt Sora while he fought Saїx, and then Sora himself, getting this new kind of power at the sight of Riku, his best friend and brother, _alive._

No one could really believe two things- one being that he was still alive, the other being that _Naminé,_ of all people, had saved him. She didn't take it as an insult, she was just as surprised that they had both gotten out alive.

On her sketch pad, the paper gleamed colored wax and smudges, bold colors and smooth lines flowing from one to the next, creating movement, emphasis, depth. On the page, she recreated what was perhaps one of the best memories from the battlefield.

~ _Kairi spun, arms out and twirling the chakrams around with her fingers, a metal spider web waiting to be used. She'd been a cheerleader in freshman year, one of the best on the squad with her dance background, and she threw the chakrams in the air above her head, twisted around and kicked a Nobody that was getting too close in the jaw, toes slamming up as she back flipped, found her balance and landed. She caught the chakrams mid rotation and played her fingers light against them, a living buzz saw sheering two Nobodies on either side of her into Nothing. ~_

Naminé had always had a fairly good memory; she always found something in everyday life to inspire her. Through time and discovery of her talents through art, she had realized that unless she put effort into it then details that really made the memory what it was would fade, disperse and be lost.

She added the strands of hair in Kairi's face, the sunlight in her eyes and the glare of the Chakrams in the air. She sat back, smiled, and flipped back a few pages of her sketchbook.

Since the battle was finished a few hours ago, she had made a total of five complete drawings. Each featured someone different, a move previously thought impossible, an act of heroism for a loved one.

Naminé ran feather-light finger tips over the crown of Riku's head, caught strands of hair between two fingertips and followed down to the ends, not disturbing him but reminding him, in his dreams, that she was still there. She turned back to her sketch book and looked over the first new drawing of the night. She had woven memories into each, and a theater opened in her mind, a movie all her own.

~ _Riku moved with a tired sort of grace, the kind that he obviously wasn't trying to show, but in his exhaustion had been natural. He was still bruised and aching, his movements quick and second nature. He dodged and spun and hit and his strength was the same, instinct. Behind his eyes, when Naminé had been overrun by Nobodies and screamed his name, and he had burst through a new cloud of gray and white smoke and pulled her close, in the brief two second time slot they had before more Nobodies took their place, she saw fury. Fury at having to fight in his state, but knowing it was needed, fury at the boldness their new enemy had, fury of being humiliated the way he had, and fury, she felt, above all, because she had almost been hurt. _

_It was then that he had kissed her, briefly on the lips and so quick it was like a shock of cold water. He had mumbled something as he did it, a warning, a note. She had smiled weakly and done as told._

"_Duck."_

_She had dropped to her knees after he let her arm go, rolled behind him. She brought Soul Eater up in an arc; Riku brought Way to the Dawn down in a crashing wave of power. He smacked Nobodies out of the sky and took on the stronger ones, sending the smaller ones her way. Their backs were pressed to each other, and when something big came Riku's way and he tripped up, freezing for a moment at the pain, Naminé spun around him. She shoved Soul Eater straight up in the air, caught the 'non-existent' beast in the belly and yanked it down to her level. She grabbed it's strangely shaped wing and threw it, squirming and writhing, into the wavering sway of Nobodies. She grinned at Riku and he smirked back at her, shaking his head and throwing himself back into battle. ~_

On the page, a blur of gray and white signified the disintegrated Nobodies around them, Naminé's cornflower hair a soft wisp in the wind as she stood, frozen, and Riku's hand on her upper arm, squeezing gently and planting a kiss on her lips. She had felt his lips turned down in anger and so the corners of them were in the picture. She smiled to herself, realizing then that she had unconsciously made the cloud of gray dust a cottony heart around them.

She flipped the page, found another movie in her head and pressed play.

~_ Vincent was a new friend of theirs; she'd only met him for maybe ten seconds after the fight. He had stood tall, still, but she could see in his eyes he was tired. She had watched him out of the corner of her eye, paying attention to the battle of course, but when Riku came near her to give her a rest for a moment or two she found her eyes straying near him. _

_She'd never seen a fight last as long as this one had, and he didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat. She found the way his tattered cape followed him poetic, broken wings smeared red from battle. She had watched how he was graceful in each moment of battle, hands quick, not trigger happy in his shooting but ready, knowing where to hit. _

_In one particular instance, he had done a move that, having played video games with Kairi before, would've put most gun-wielding heroes to shame._

_A Nobody, a bigger one, with a blunt sword, had gotten too close. It swung its weird sword in a slow curve; Vincent had ducked under it, did a quick turn around it and came about behind it. The Nobody had seemed confused, if anything, and as it started to turn Vincent kicked, catching the back of its leg and sending it down, crouched on the ground, leaning on its sword. Without missing a beat, he came up beside it and (this was the part that blew Naminé away, no pun intended) shoved Cerberus against the side of its head, pulled the trigger, and __walked_ _back into battle, as if he did it all the time. _

_When Naminé had started laughing in the middle of the fight, Riku had given her a look that clearly said he thought she was insane. ~_

Naminé still couldn't help a small laugh from escaping, even then, hours after the fight. It had been perfect, humorous in it's own strange way, and she had loved it so much she had spent probably the most time recreated it in her picture. Vincent had his back to the viewer, his cape flowing behind him like some sort of farewell. On the ground, the Nobody was just starting to fall, a hole the size of her fist in the side of its head.

Beside her, Riku stirred. His lips twitched down, angry even in sleep, and his fingers dug into bed sheets, fists clenching and unclenching in a nervous sort of manner, eyes squeezing shut tighter. Naminé kissed his cheek again, he seemed to freeze, hold his breath. She pulled back and found his eyes had opened, and he blinked for a moment, seeming wide awake. Naminé pulled back, brushed hair back from his face and he blinked.

"Hey…" her voice was soft; Riku glanced up at her, shrugged away from her and sat up. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and without a word pulled off the blankets and lumbered towards the bathroom. Naminé sighed, sat back into the pillows and smoothed out the blankets.

She waited quietly, flipping to the next page.

The memory started easily enough.

~_ Despite his wounds, bruised body and tired mind, Riku still found the time to watch over Naminé, if she needed help, and glance to his friends if they were in trouble. Riku had just finished slicing through a wave of Nobodies, blinking sleep from his eyes and exhaustion seeping into his bones. His legs were slowly turning numb, his head starting to pound- all signs that, over the years of fighting, told him he needed to stop._

_He kicked a nearby Dusk so hard across the face he heard its neck snap as its head whipped to the side. _

"_MOVE ASIDE!" _

_Riku spun. Saїx was making his way through the crowd, smacking lesser Nobodies this way and that- all to get to him. It seemed the Nobody had realized their "prisoner" had escaped, and, being a good lap dog, would bring him back to Superior. Last Riku had checked, Sora had been holding him off, but the Keyblade Master was no where in sight and somewhere over the clashes of battle Riku heard a soft distant crying, undoubtedly Kairi. Naminé was a few feet away and still going strong. _

_Saїx ran at him, turning to the right just slightly enough to hide the massive sword from view, though it dug through earth and left scars on the ground. Naminé had looked up in helpless fear and could only watch as Riku brought his Keyblade up just in time to block the worst of the attack, strips of power inching around his weapon to slice into skin, a neat line down the left side of his face, a dark red mark on his shoulder. His legs were knocked out from under him and he hit the ground hard, all but dropping his weapon. _

_Naminé screamed as Saїx swung his sword back around. _

_Riku closed his eyes and there was a metal clang, the soft scuff of feet on grass, and a painful intake of breath. When he opened his eyes, Sora was standing over him, a foot on either side of Riku's legs, knees bent, arms shaking. His Keyblade was turned on its side and hooked on Saїx's sword, just underneath one of the spikes. Saїx ripped his sword away and Sora wisely let go of one end of his Keyblade, flicking it with his other wrist and tightening his grip with the other hand. With the amount of strength Sora used, Saїx's sword was ripped from him, flying into the air and landing a few feet away buried in gray dusted grass. _

_Sora had brought his arm back, flung the Keyblade out and cast a fire spell at the same time, burning a line across Saїx's face that made him scream, stumble back with his palms pressed to his nose. Sora had stepped back, helped Riku up as Saїx tried to recuperate and at least locate his sword, and had handed him a potion. ~_

In the picture, Riku was on the ground and Sora was standing over him, fending off the Nobody that had taken Riku away once, but not twice. The picture itself looked hurried, gestured almost. Heavy dark lines and natural blending of colors, the only truly evident thing being the glare on Sora's face.

The bathroom door banged open and Riku stumbled out, drying his hands on his cotton white sweatpants. He kept his head down, walked back to his side of the bed and climbed in, resuming his old position with his back to Naminé. She sighed again, softer this time, and leaned down over him.

"Naminé…" his voice was a warning; she shook her head and kissed his temple, closing her eyes.

"Have a bad dream?" her lips mused into his hair. Her hands forgot the sketchbook and trailed up around the blankets.

Riku shifted, furrowed his brow in annoyance. She couldn't blame him for being a little grumpy, "I'm tired, Naminé."

"Then sleep." She kissed his ear, rubbed her nose to his cheek and let out a soft breath, "I'm right here."

"I don't need protecting." He pulled away from her and settled with his back to her completely, shoulders tense.

She knew his problem with today. He was weak, tired and hurt. He hadn't been himself and now there was a new scar along the side of his face, a mark from Saїx.

Naminé shifted, the sketchbook fell off of her lap and smacked the floor, she didn't care. She scooted up close to him and, much to both his annoyance and slight amusement, climbed over him. She tugged the blankets out of his hands fit herself against him, burying her face to his neck, kissing his collar bone and feeling him settle, wrapping his arms around her tight. He took in fistfuls of her hair and she rubbed those small circles on his back, kneading away tension.

When he spoke, his voice was soft, "I love you, Naminé."

She smiled a little, breathed deep his scent and thought of roses and vast oceans. "I love you too, Riku."

On the floor, the sketchbook was flipped open to the fifth image- Kurix passed out on the ground, and Riku chained to the wall. Underneath the image she had scrawled in quick half thought; "_When angels need protecting."_

-----------

_Not sure about the ending, kinda iffy, but I liked it anyway. It's kind of a sappy chapter, if you think about it, so it deserves a sappy ending. _

_Next chapter will be up by either this Saturday or next, hopefully this. If there's somethin' you wanna see, let me know I'll try and work it in. _

_Roxy's coming sooooon! XD _

_Review please, okay? That includes you, the numerous lurkers and people getting alerts that never say a word. _

_See ya, have a good week :D! _


	16. Sanctuary

_So…the beginning of this is kinda songfic-ish. I was listening to the new version of Disturbia, the slow remix, and…well, this is what happened xD I hope you like it, and as a disclaimer (Gawsh I never do these anymore) I don't own the lyrics to the song, mmkay?_

_BTW, someone go vote on my poll after this xD Okay, anyway…_

_Enjoy!~_

_

* * *

_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

_**----------**_

_Disturbia, disturbia-ah _

Slow, graceful.

_Faded pictures on the wall, it's like they're talking to me. _

Kairi stood on the tips of her toes, bent the knee of her right leg and bowed back. Her fingertips grazed the floor, she let her head fall back, hair falling down and brushing the floor. Her straight leg shook, trembling with her own weight. She bit her lip in concentration and straightened her bent leg, up in the air like a greeting as Sora walked in. He had a water bottle in his hand, sheer yellow in the dusty sunlight. There were no fluorescents on, only natural sunlight from the windows, reflecting off the mirrors.

_Disconnecting on calls, phone don't even ring. I gotta get out, oh figure this shit out. It's too close for comfort. _

Her leg continued to shake, she willed herself to hold out for just a little longer. Her muscles strained to hold it, she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and let it out in a loud puff as she heaved her other leg up into the air. Her handstand was perfect, though her arms shook now too. She pressed her palms flat to the ground, bent her legs at the hips and pointed her toes at the wall. She straightened her legs to the ceiling again, bent her legs, straightened them, and with a small grunt flipped herself over. Her fingers splayed the ground, her hair hung in her face. She looked over at Sora, who took a sip from his water bottle and smiled, and smiled back.

_It's the thief in the night to come and grab you_

_It can creep up inside you and consume you_

_A disease of the mind, it can control you_

_I feel like a monster, oh_

Kairi stood, brushing her hair back behind her shoulders. She did a little turn and lowered her music, grabbing her own drink as she did. She turned again and started across the room, her hair fire in the light as she stepped into a square of sunshine. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it, a mass of darkness that did not belong in her sanctuary of sunlight and slow music. Purple bands whipped out of the rising oval, a low warp of noise as the darkness shimmied its way through the air. A familiar figure stepped out and Kairi turned, and fell.

"_KAIRI!" _

_Put on your pretty lies, you're in the city of wonder_

_Ain't gonna play nice, watch out you might just go under_

_Better think twice, your train of thought will be altered_

_So if you must falter, be wise_

She landed hard on her knees, unable to catch herself. Pain welled in her side, muscles in her abdomen and all the way up to her shoulders twitching, reacting. The purple diamond that had cut so neatly a thin inch deep line was jammed tip first into the ground a few feet behind her.

Xigbar frowned, "Damn. Stay still, kiddo." He took aim again, Kairi looked up from beneath a curtain of hair as red as the blood on the ground and waited.

Sora flew across the room faster than Xigbar could shoot. He planted his feet in front of her and as the Freeshooter fired round after round he smacked them out of the air, taking a few hits himself. It only took Kairi a moment to stumble to her feet and summon weapons of her own. She pushed past the pain, adrenaline kicking in as Xigbar reloaded, blood pumping faster, a steady trickle down her side and staining her clothes. She held the chakrams tight and went low while Sora slashed the Nobody across his chest, spinning on one leg.

Xigbar twisted, came around behind them, guns reloaded and upside-down. He smirked, Kairi's chakrams stuck the wall and without hesitation he pulled the trigger.

_Your mind's in disturbia, it's like the darkness is the light_

_Disturbia, am I scaring you tonight?_

_Disturbia, ain't used to what you like_

_Disturbia, disturbia, disturbia…_

Sora and Kairi's screams could be heard from the Garden, loud and clear.

When the door to the dance studio was nearly kicked in a minute later, Kairi was huddled in the corner. Blood was speckled on the mirror, her cheeks. Her face was held in a grimace, tears mixed with red as they fell down her cheeks. Beside her was an empty space, where Sora should have been, but surely wasn't. Kairi pried a diamond shaped bullet from her upper leg, crying out as she tossed it across the room.

Vincent came to his knees beside her, not saying a word but rather pulling her into his arms, holding her to his chest and flying out the door.

_Release me from this curse I'm in_

_Trying to maintain but I'm struggling_

The music kept going, mysterious and soft, undertones to a place that once was pure in light, now stained.

The difference between Sora and Riku's kidnapping was this; Sora was conscious, and he still held some form of strength. Xigbar had a good aim, yes, but Sora had managed to hurt him too, and as he fought to get Sora into the cage that had previously sheltered Riku, Sora put his feet up on the bars, a growl in the back of his throat. He braced himself, sure something bad was coming (especially if they took the time to kidnap him).

Kurix swept in, grabbing both of Sora's legs and trapping them beneath his arm. He smirked as Sora paused for a moment, then started wriggling, writhing, kicking and swinging his arms. He managed to free his legs long enough to crack Kurix a good one across the jaw, his feet jarring him as they slammed into concrete. There was an old, maroon blood stain that had been lazily rinsed with cold water. A spot showing the past few days had been real, had happened.

Seeing a piece of what they had done to his friend gave Sora a new drive. He struggled harder, the small holes in his arms and legs and side spilling red, he was nearly covered in it when he wriggled out of Xigbar's grip. Kurix came up behind him and trapped his arms around him, a bear hug if anything, and Sora thought for a moment that they actually had him. Then he saw Vexen coming through the doorway, Lexeaus close by his side, and Sora realized that if he didn't get out then, he wasn't going to.

Xigbar lunged at him and both of Sora's feet slammed into his chest. Xigbar couldn't scream as the wind was knocked from him, somewhere in his chest he felt a rib or two shatter, a few crack. Sora's adrenaline rush had made him faster, stronger. He let out a rabid yell and smashed his head back into Kurix's face, Kurix let go and smacked into the wall behind him. Sora crouched low, ducking a hit that surely would've left him out of consciousness from Lexeaus. He dove between the huge Nobody's legs, sliding over Xigbar's crumbled form, and came up on the other side. He rammed his shoulder into Lexeaus's lower back, making him fall forward, arms pin wheeling and eyes slightly wide with surprise.

Sora stumbled back, the rush starting to fade, pain starting to come to the little bullet holes in his body, realizing he had left streaks and smears of blood everywhere.

He felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind; fearing it was Vexen, he launched back into his rabid fighting only to feel a sudden cold wind across his face, his eyes tearing. Like suction, a yank through a new portal that was there and gone in a second, his clothes flapped as he saw the enraged, retreating faces of the Organization, Lexeaus reaching for him, a sneer on his usually emotionless face.

Sora could only struggle so much, and he found himself gasping for air as the arms tightened. He hunched over, feeling whoever had a hold on him loosen up. The arms let him go and he fell to his knees.

"Sora," A hand rested on his shoulder, Sora looked up and found Riku in front of him, offering a potion. "Take this, get up, we don't have much time."

Sora nodded, chugged the potion and stumbled to his feet, Riku's hand on his arm holding him up gave him something to lean against.

"How did you find me?"

Riku shrugged, turned him around and aimed him in the right direction, glancing back as they walked, "Followed your scent. Besides, where else would they take you?" the last words sounded bitter, Sora looked up.

"Riku…"

He shook his head, "Come on, we have to get back. Kairi's worried sick, and hurt."

Sora stopped, "What?!"

Riku glanced back, "Come on."

Kairi dug her fingers into the blankets, the bed she was in turning red. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip, her mind a fog of pain and one clear thought cutting through the smoke and confusion.

_Where is Sora?_

All she could think, as the nurses around her passed a little metal bowl over her, this hands steady with experience. She felt another diamond shaped bullet tugged from her side and nearly cried out, hearing the metallic clank when the nurse dropped it in the bowl with the four others they'd torn from her. Her clothes were ruined, her entire body hurt, and still- _Where is Sora?-_ all she could think. Her head was pounding. She let it fall back against the down pillows around her, trying her hardest to relax but when she closed her eyes it replayed in her head. The suddenness of it all, the way Sora had jumped in front of her, running, aiming, and then Xigbar was gone and she collided with the wall so hard her teeth clattered together and her Chakrams were embedded in the wall. She had glanced up and saw Sora try and skid to a stop but he smacked the wall too, his head banging against it with a soft thud that made her cringe.

And then Xigbar had pulled the triggers, and she saw the first bullet land right between them. Sora had met her eyes and she had met his and one telepathic thought seemed to pass between them, _Oh, shit._ Before either of them could do anything, they were showered with purple slivers of metal.

Then Sora was gone, first leaning against the wall, a gash on his cheek from where a bullet grazed him, several stuck in his arms and legs and one tucked nicely into his back, and Xigbar had thrown his arms around him and hauled him back into a portal spun out of black thread.

Vincent had swept in and carried her off and now…

Kairi screamed, her voice raspy from screaming before, and she shut her eyes. They'd pulled one out of her leg, one of the deeper ones, and she felt cool air rushing to the open wound, dark red spilling over it and down the sides of her leg. It was a few inches under her left knee, about a half an inch across and God knew how deep. One of the nurses rubbed her hand apologetically and Kairi ripped it her hand away, her palms clammy and her skin too warm.

_Where is Sora?_

Riku had taken one look at her and seemed to make up his mind on his own. He'd torn open a portal with such force and ferocity that the other nurses had taken aback, but Kairi knew better. He wasn't mad, not with her, not with Sora. He was livid, because the Organization had done this, and it would seem they'd been blind sighted. He knew what they'd do to Sora.

Naminé pushed open the white white doors to the emergency room. A few of the other nurses ran in her path, putting gentle hands to her shoulders and fluttering around her like nervous birds. Naminé shoved them aside, shouldering through two and nearly falling over the bed in her rush to get away from them, muttering something under her breath like, "That's my _sister_ you _idiot_ let me _through_."

Naminé pressed a blessedly cool hand to her sister's forehead and leaned in, somehow maneuvering herself around the other women, and kissed the top of her head. She smoothed back Kairi's hair and said, "Don't worry, I'm here."

Kairi leaned towards her and asked, "Where is Sora?"

A portal of darkness opened up in the center of the room and Kairi and Naminé tensed, the nurses halted and turned. Shadows graced the corners, and first out was Sora, panting, blood drying on his clothes but mostly healed, the diamonds having been knocked out of their places in his own fight. Riku came in next, eyes fixed on the ground.

Naminé stepped back and Sora took her place, though he kissed Kairi on the lips gently, fingers of one hand finding their way to her hair.

"_Kairi…_"

Kairi didn't care about the pain at that moment, she really couldn't have cared less, and so she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Her eyes watered and while Sora ran his fingers through her hair, the nurses finished their work.

Naminé turned, clasping her hands in front of herself as she walked slow steps to Riku. He had his back to her, arms crossed. Most of the nurses were giving them dirty looks, seeing as how there really weren't supposed to be that many people other than medical personnel in the ER anyway, but no one seemed to be ready to ask them to leave, either.

Naminé tapped his shoulder, reaching up on the tips of her toes to do so, and said, "Hey, everything all right?"

Riku shook his head, turning to her quickly, "They were going to make his Nobody."

Naminé nodded, "I know. But they didn't have him as long as they had you- they barely had him at all. It's all right. They're safe now. Right?"

Riku looked away, "I don't know. They were…Everyone was on him. Anyone they had, almost. I just…don't know what to do." He put his hands on her shoulders, pulled her close, "Naminé, if they go after you…"

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist, buried her nose against his chest, "They won't, and if they do, you'll protect me."

She felt him smile as he pressed his lips against her hair, his fingers playing with it absently, "Why do you have such faith in me?"

Naminé held him tighter, "Because you promised. I trust you." She kissed his cheek and said, "I love you."

"I-"

"Riku!" Naminé smiled, turning with him to see The King. His cheeks were flushed, eyes full of worry. "What happened?"

"Naminé…" Naminé glanced over her shoulder at Kairi, Kairi motioned for her to come closer.

"Everything okay?"

Kairi nodded, "I told Ansem I'd go see him today. He told a few of his friends about us-" Naminé started to protest but Kairi held up her hand, "He trusts them, so we should too." She shook her head. The nurses had dispersed, now it would seem they were looking for something to heal her with while a two others continued pulling shards of metal from her. "Please? I can't go like this, just tell him I was hurt."

Naminé crossed her arms, angry only at the fact that their secret had been told, "How are they even going to see us?"

Kairi glanced at Sora, Sora looked away, "If they're strong enough, Sora said they will. Okay? It isn't always about light and dark, like it was with us. There are exceptions."

Naminé sighed, playing with the hem of her dress, "All right. I'll be back in a little while."

Kairi smiled, visibly relieved, "Thank you, Naminé."

Naminé nodded, "Sure. Feel better, all right?" Kairi nodded and Naminé turned again, trailing her fingers along Riku's arm as she walked past, "Kairi wants me to go see Ansem at the hospital, I'll be back soon."

He grabbed her hand, "Wait-"

She put her other hand up, "I'll be fine, I can defend myself, don't worry."

Riku glanced at Mickey, who shrugged. He let her hand drop, "Be careful, Naminé."

Xemnas slammed his fist against the counter, Vexen sighed, "I can work with what we have."

Xemnas crossed his arms. Behind him, Xigbar was lying on the floor, propped up by a pillow, moaning. Lexeaus had his arms crossed, standing in the corner. He refused to look Xemnas in the eye.

Kurix was standing beside Vexen, far enough that he was out of the way but still close enough that he felt some form of comfort. Vexen was who had created him, after all, and although it was obvious is wasn't just his fault that Sora had gotten away, he was still blaming himself. Vexen hadn't spoken to him since.

At the moment, the Chilly Academic was rapidly typing away at his computer, brows stitched together with concentration. He opened a new file, showing Kurix how he had been made, though there were going to be a few changes here and there.

"How?" Xemnas's deep voice made Kurix jump- he had no idea why he was so on edge. He wasn't afraid just…Well, he didn't know what. He had no heart, so he shouldn't have felt a thing, and still he did. He would have to talk to Vexen about it later.

Vexen pulled his hair out of his face, twisting it behind his shoulders and letting it fall against his back. He motioned towards the computer screen, "We have nothing like what we had with Riku," he glanced at Kurix, "Nothing solid. No DNA or anything of that nature. However, what we _do_ have is simple. Observations, the basis of science." He smirked, "Data. Sora's Nobody won't look exactly like him, as Kurix looks like Riku, but we'll have some similarities."

"So you can still make it?"

Vexen smirked, "If this goes as planned, I can make him better than Kurix."

Kurix looked up, caught Xemnas's eye and turned on his heel. He walked out of the room, shouldering Zexion out of his way in the process. Xemnas laughed, cold and hollow, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you hurt his feelings."

Vexen's smirk grew. He typed with purpose; _R.O.X.A.S._

Naminé shimmied her way into the little white pod, drawing her arms tight to herself. She hadn't been to see Ansem in a good two weeks, feeling it was more for Kairi than for her. Going to her home world depressed her. It was obvious why- so many memories and not a thing she could do. Nothing would bring her back there, not for real, and though she didn't _want_ to leave anyway, she missed it.

Being there tore her apart, because she knew her parents were there, and she'd probably never see them again.

Her eyes started to water at the thought, and she shut them tight, willing herself to relax.

Ansem sighed, drumming his fingers on his desk. He was nervous at the thought of leaving his office door unlocked, something that both amazed him and scared him. After all, a boss shouldn't be afraid of their employees; and a psychologist with a fear of the dark? Please, he was beyond that, by now.

There was a sharp knock on the door and he jumped, standing up from leaning against the edge of his desk. He sighed, walked around the chairs he'd set up in front of his desk and stopped for a moment, glancing back at the window. He'd kept the blinds up, sunlight flooding the room. No shadows there, nothing that would stop Kairi from coming to him.

He twisted the door knob slowly, he held his breath as he pulled it open.

Leon, Cloud, Tifa. Leon looked rather tired, Cloud and Tifa just confused, maybe a little annoyed. It _was _their days off, he supposed, but…Well, if Leon said he could trust them, then a sacrifice as little as a day with no work wouldn't be so bad. Ienzo walked past them, eyes on his chart and muttering something under his breath.

Ansem sighed; at this point, whether or not they believed him was almost irrelevant, he just needed help.

He stepped back from the door way and motioned them inside, Cloud was the first to speak, "What's this all about?"

Tifa took the seat in the middle, in between Cloud and Leon, and crossed her arms. Ansem walked around them to his desk, "I suppose Leon's told you both, then?"

Tifa nodded, her eyes were half lidded, staring at the floor, "I don't understand."

"_Well, that's easy."_ Naminé's voice sounded before she appeared, a flash of white by the window. First mistaken for a glare before her body formed- limbs and head and all. She smiled, "_If you can see me, you've got a strong heart." _She walked over to the desk.

Ansem sat back, "Naminé? What happened to Kairi?"

Naminé glanced at the three shocked faces beside her and couldn't stifle a smile, though her voice was serious when she turned to Ansem, _"She was attacked, this morning. She's in the hospital."_ Ansem's face changed, from curiosity to horror. Naminé held her hand up, "_She'll be all right. Sora's with her, he was attacked too, it's…Kind of a long story. But she'll be okay, she asked me to come here." _She turned to the group of three, "_I guess you can see me?"_

Leon glanced at Cloud and Tifa, their expressions said it all.

A few moments later and Leon said, "Haven't seen you in a while."

Naminé smiled at him, "_Same."_

"So, wait," Cloud put his hands up, "You weren't joking?"

Leon shook his head, Tifa added, "Why haven't you told anyone else?"

Ansem sighed, "The looks on your faces, for one. Secondly, given everything that's happened in the past year and a half, don't you think people would call me insane, rather than believe it?"

"_Kairi is proof of that."_ Ansem glanced at Naminé, "_Not to sound mean, but… Even I didn't believe her, at the very beginning. But it's true." _

The door opened, Ansem held his breath. It flew back on it's hinges, Naminé watched with wide eyes as Ienzo walked in. He had his face buried in his work, closing the door behind himself,

"Sir, can you…" he looked up, first seeing the three sitting in front of Ansem's desk, then Ansem himself. His eyes landed on Naminé. "I'm sorry. I should have knocked."

Ansem tried to sit a little taller, "It's…fine, Ienzo. Can I help you with something?"

He shook his head, glanced at his work and then back at Naminé, "Just wanted your opinion on something."

Ansem nodded, "Come back in a few minutes, if you don't mind." He leaned back in his chair, eyes following Ienzo's straight to Naminé.

Ienzo made no sign that he'd heard Ansem. Instead, he said in a soft voice barely above a whisper, "Xehanort's been looking for you."

Naminé stood, glanced at Ansem. Her eyes had narrowed, she met Ansem's and he looked from one to the other.

Ienzo took a few steps forward, "Naminé…" it was with a strange mix of focus and fear, or maybe curiosity, that they watched him then. His eyes had turned a sharp yellow, brighter than the sun and piercing. Outside, the sun was hidden by clouds, the lightened air turning gray, dark. "How funny, to see _you_ here."

Naminé pulled out Soul Eater, having no other idea of what to do, "_What do you want?" _

Ienzo laughed and flew forward so quickly Naminé barely had a chance to react. He collided with her, knocking her clear over Ansem's desk and-

-out of the pod. The door flew open and off it's hinges, Naminé shrieked as she rolled out, Ienzo following. His skin was smoldering, not charred black like most Heartless that stepped through doors of Light, but burning. Wispy and dirtying the air. Naminé managed to pull Soul Eater up in time, blocking an attack that would've filleted the skin from her face. His hands had turned into black claws, glossy and new. His eyes were completely yellow, bright orbs of fake sunshine.

Naminé kicked out with her foot, he caught it in his claw and _squeezed _and Naminé screamed, kicking with the other so fast he couldn't defend himself. She landed a hit square in his face, jarring him and knocking him back, easing his grip on her. She rolled back, heels over head, and caught him in the jaw. Ienzo grunted, righted himself and came to his legs, Naminé scrambling for her own. Just as she got her balance, he darted forward with such speed he was a blur of black in the room, a smudge of ink. He tackled her into the wall and Naminé's head smacked back against the concrete, eyes watering. Her vision blurred and Ienzo raised a claw in triumph, smirking as he brought it down. Naminé closed her eyes, squeezing them shut in wait.

There was a soft _whump_, a sort of thud as though Ienzo had hit something soft, a pillow rather than her face. Naminé opened her eyes and found Ienzo staring up at Riku, his claw stuck in Riku's hand. Riku tightened his fingers around his wrist.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Riku yanked him back, sending the Heartless sprawling across the floor.

Naminé shut her eyes, this time as Riku walked over and plunged his Keyblade into Ienzo's chest. His eyes met Riku's for the briefest of moments, before a pool of Darkness spread out from beneath him, his own dark blood. Riku pulled his Keyblade out, still staring at Ienzo as the Heartless faded, splinters of Darkness and shadow floating in the air. A moment later and Ienzo was gone.

Riku turned back to Naminé. She had slid down the wall, knees pulled to her chest. Soul Eater was gone, she reached her hands out to Riku and he gave her a small smile, kneeling in front of her.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded throwing her arms around his neck, "See? Told you you'd protect me."

He smiled, wrapped her in his arms, "Sap."

--------

_Grarrrrrrr~_

_It's finally done T.T _

_Seriously, the first part of this chapter has been written for a week, I had serious writer's block after the fight with Sora. DX Oh well, good thing I got my inspiration back. _

_Anyone ever watch Dead Fantasy? Go to Youtube and look up Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy 1, and watch the rest if you want. Whole reason this chapter came together XD _

_Imma go enjoy the rest of my Sunday, you guys do the same, after you review, of course :'D_


	17. ROXAS::Hero

_You guys better like this. xD I spent AGES on this!! (Reason for my update taking so long)_

_As a result of one particular reviewer saying that I should make this chapter unique, I believe I have. :3_

_Please tell me what you think at the end! I want feedback on this one, I tried really hard. X3_

_Also, this chapter has a playlist (you'll see why soon) and in order goes- Eternal; Evanescene, Untouched; The Veronicas, Hero; Skillet. _

_I don't own any of these songs or lyrics, or KH, but, the plot is mine. _

_Enjoy peoples! D___

* * *

Darkness or Dawn

Chapter 17- Roxas

_Eternal_

Kairi sighed, glancing out the windows at the gray skies, her eyes soft and tired. Her muscles ached already with her training from earlier in the day, her legs growing stiff. She'd decided to relax, unwinding her usual way. She was dressed in the stereotypical outfit for a dancer; pink stockings and a black leotard. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun, wisps hanging low here and there.

She knelt before the stereo, her mp3 player connected to it, and shuffled through the songs. She bit her lip in thought, brushing hair back behind her ear with slender fingers while she searched for her first song, a song she'd heard when she'd first gotten to Disney and fallen in love with, and had vowed to one day make an entire routine to, the entire seven and half minutes.

She hit the play button, took light, quick steps to the center of the dance floor. She glanced at the corner, the wall scarred with new grooves and dents. The King had sent a pair of those walking mops to clean up the place, polishing the floors while they were at it and wiping clean the windows and mirrors. The room was spotless, with the exception of the new marks in the corner.

Kairi turned her head, a sharp movement that sent rebel strands of red flying into her view. She stared at her reflection, finding one very subtle, pale scar across the bridge of her nose. She'd been finding new scars since the day before, when Xigbar had attacked. After she'd been healed Sora had sent her straight to bed, telling her she needed rest. She was sure she did, she'd never used a potion before, and the magic in it left her feeling dizzy, light headed. Her skin pulling itself back together had been a new sensation she wasn't sure she wanted to get accustomed to.

That morning, Kairi had been hell bent on getting in some sort of training. If the Organization were going to pop up whenever they pleased then she wanted to be ready for it. What had happened with Xigbar the day before wouldn't happen again.

Kairi stood taller, straightening her spine and feeling a dull, welcome ache in her lower back in the outermost muscles. She broadened her shoulders and kept her hands at her sides, fingers wiggling, waiting to move.

The song started, gentle piano keys mixed with electric keyboard. She twisted her hands once and brought her arms up slow, brought one leg up straight and waited for the music to pick up. She threw her leg up and clasped her hands together, curling her leg around the thigh of the one planted on the ground and flowing into the next movement, finishing with both feet on the ground. Her eyes shut and she let the music move her.

She threw her head back and her arms behind herself, falling into a half lunge with her back arched. She spun quickly and swept one leg out, landing on the opposite leg, she did the same movement again. She brought her arms in and flung them out with each turn. Her hair twirled with her, flying into her face, covering her eyes. She slowed her turns, her arms curling up straight into the air. The music took a brief pause and she held her breath, and when it started again she flung herself back. A handstand, a kick turned it into a back-flip. Another and another until she had moved her entire way across the room.

She landed firmly on her feet and puffed out air, her ribs visible as she breathed deep and took advantage of the new slowness the song held over the room. She bent backwards as far as she could, fingertips grazing the surface of the floor, and felt the rush she'd needed.

The dullness that had crept through her body with sleep, the soreness from training and quiet anger behind her new scars seemed to leave with each movement. Her heartbeat combined with the rhythm and she felt herself swaying with the music, moving in time with grace and energy. New energy, something she had drawn from inside herself, not-

_created. That was what this new _thing_ Kurix saw before him was. A quiet, new Nobody made for Sora, but that didn't _look_ like Sora. Not the way he, the _first_ replica, had looked like Riku. He wondered idly if that made a difference, his hand held to his chin, one arm wrapped around himself. He glanced out the window. _

_It was raining, water pelting the windows, slow humming in the background of noise from Vexen and his shrill voice, the beeps from the computer, the new creation's heart revving up. _

_Kurix turned back to Vexen, who was fluttering around the new _thing's_ form with towels, wiping gook and liquids from it's face Kurix didn't know the name of. He stared, watching the new, rosy cheeked boy with spiky blond hair, blinking wide blue eyes at Vexen, clearly daze and clearly growing more and more upset by the second. _

_Vexen was being too rough, Kurix could see that. In all of his fake excitement and bustling about the room, Vexen had knocked over various things. Replaceable things of course, but the clanking, the noise- Kurix remembered his birth, the way whites were too bright and black was too dark, new eyes had to adjust to sunlight. New eardrums had to work, register noises and decibels and catalog voices to faces and faces to names. His brain was on overdrive and his skin cold to the touch, covered in gooseflesh just as Kurix's had been. _

"_Vexen," Kurix sighed, the Nobody turned, casting an annoyed glare over his shoulder. Kurix shook his head, "You're scaring him." _

_Vexen stopped, turned to his new creation. He brushed the hair from his shoulders and scrubbed mess from his forehead. "You're name," he said quietly, "is Roxas, can you remember that?" _

_Slowly, Roxas nodded, brow stitching together in concentration. He reached with shaking hands to grab the towel from Vexen's grip but failed, his arm falling limply back to his side. His legs twitched. Vexen waggled a finger at him. _

"_Now, now." He smirked, "Kurix will tell you what to do, won't he?" He looked to Kurix._

_Kurix crossed his arms and stared out the window, "Yeah." After a moment of thought, Kurix said, "Roxas," the blond's eyes moved to Kurix, "Give it some time. You can't move on your own just yet. I'll show you how in a little while." _

_Vexen nodded his approval, then turned back to Roxas. He wrapped the towel around his finger and rubbed more from Roxas's face. On an impulse, Kurix reached out and grabbed Vexen's hand, _

"_You're hurting him." He let go and Vexen ripped his hand away, a sneer on his face. _

"_Oh, am I now?"_

_Kurix's gaze met his, and somewhere in the back of his mind Vexen realized he didn't like the defiance he found in Kurix's eyes, "His skin is new. The cells are sensitive, don't be so harsh or you'll scrape him to death." _

_Vexen kept his eyes level with Kurix for all of two more seconds before turning back to Roxas. _

_Roxas had tucked his chin to his chest, eyes half lidded. He was tired, and though his mind was in too much of a state of panic to understand and form words, he felt pain. His nose was red, his forehead rubbed raw. His lips were chapped and dry, parted just slightly for air. He took short, quick breaths and Vexen realized Kurix, however much he hated to admit it, was right. _

_Standing up and throwing the towel down at Roxas's feet, Vexen said, "Worthless Replica." _

_Kurix knelt down, grabbing the towel, "What was that?" _

_He watched Vexen's retreating back, a tangled mass of gold hair and a dark coat. Vexen's natural air of arrogance was thick, clouding the room and bearing down on the two created beings. Kurix sighed, glanced back at Roxas. _

_Tremors were working their way through him, a valid part of the process of getting himself started up; Kurix had gone through it as well. They had lasted an hour, moving through him so violently he had curled up on the bed he'd been given and clutched a pillow to himself, willing them gone and done with. _

_Kurix sighed and unzipped his coat, realizing it was going to get extremely filthy from the substance coating Roxas, but not particularly caring. With the realization that Vexen really had no heart, and that really, he was worthless to the Organization, Kurix had wondered what was worth doing. Should he stay? _

_He wrapped the thick leather coat around Roxas's shoulders, making the smaller one jump, and zippered it up. Slowly, and much more softly than Vexen had done, he wiped Roxas's eyes and finished the job of clearing his face. _

_Roxas managed a smile and Kurix smirked. _

_An idea came to him, and he liked it. He would- _

turn after turn, Kairi spun on one leg, spotting herself in the mirror and whipping herself around. She stopped and slammed her foot to the ground, her eyes wide. Her dance had taken a strange edge to it, this sort of despair behind her moves, the kicks and turns almost like she was fighting away something beneath the surface. She liked it, but she hadn't been expecting it. Despite spotting herself, Kairi was still dizzy- she had never done so many turns in one dance before, seven minutes or not.

She took shaky steps over to the stereo to pick the next song, her eyes closed. She sat cross legged in front of it and while she waited for the dizziness to fade, rifled through songs and playlists, smiling as she found one she liked.

Shaking herself off, Kairi scrambled back to the middle of the room and waited.

The movements for this one, she supposed, would be more familiar. She had started her entire dance career, if anyone wanted to call it that, it was more of a lifestyle now, with a mix of ballet and hip hop- both were incredibly popular at the time and fluidity of ballet combined with the uniqueness of hip hop had started Kairi off with this impression to mix and match, take moves from both and do what she liked. Her hip hop teacher had loved it, her ballet? Not so much. Still, Kairi had kept herself in check in ballet class and stuck with it for another few years, rounding off the technique she was sure was probably found elsewhere and had a real name.

The song she had picked this time wasn't necessarily hip hop. It had violins and a fast paced rhythm, and that made it the perfect song for what she wanted to do.

Kairi put her hands to her face, breathing deep through her nose. She loved this song; parts of it reminded her of a certain someone. Naminé had made her listen to it a few weeks before (for her, it inspired a full colored pencil drawing of Riku, for some reason with a blindfold around his eyes, the way she had found him with the Organization). It also reminded her, with the title, how she felt before she had been taken to Disney- untouched, crazy, and of course, missing Sora to death.

The song started and Kairi put her arms up straight when the first few violin notes were struck, bending her left knee and throwing her head back. The notes started to fade, echoing, and another set was struck. She switched legs. Her head hung down with the third and her arms collapsed with the fourth.

The song picked up and Kairi turned to the other side of the room. Taking long leaps across, switching legs but starting with the left.

The girls started to sing the lyrics, Kairi smiled and shook her shoulders as she landed, palms on the mirror and smudging fingerprints across the reflective surface.

She heard the door open to her room and didn't need to look to know who it was. She threw herself from the mirror and kicked her leg up in what normally would've been a graceful movement, but with speed almost knocked her off balance. It forced her to turn and land on her knees, fingers splayed on the mirror. Her hair hung in her face and she let her head fall back, hair curling from her shoulders and falling down her back.

She brought her arms to her face and bent her elbows, burying her face in the crooks of her arms, and rolled to the side once, bringing her right leg up against the mirror, toes pointed to the ceiling.

To Sora, who was sitting patiently in the corner, it looked almost depressing, so overwhelmed with love that she might-

_burst; sadness overcoming her and tears falling down her face, her eyes were pale in the (not)light and her lips trembled as they formed his name._

"_R-Riku?" _

_Naminé held him close to her, her arms around him as tightly as they could go. She buried her fingers in his hair, tangled and long and smelling like…like…_

"_Coconut and flowers." She mumbled against his forehead, which to her lips felt colder than ice. _

_Somewhere in the Realm of Darkness. He was being swallowed by it, from the waist down she couldn't see him, but his usual clothes were torn, destroyed. She was kneeling in a pool of his blood, his eyes open and staring unseeing at the (not)sky. The blue-green she loved so much was dull and lifeless, a smattering a red across his face cracked and swelled as her tears fell on his cheeks. Past his lips. _

_His head rested in her lap and she threw her head back and screamed, somewhere on Disney her voice echoed around the gardens and she flung herself up, waking to find herself-_

right in his arms.

Kairi's eyes were wide, she stared into Sora's and he smiled.

One thing she truly hated about stockings was this- wooden floors were all the more slippery. Following a kick that would've been powerful and defiant, her standing leg had slid ever so slightly and been knocked out from under her. She screeched, arms pin wheeling.

Sora had run as fast as he could across the room and caught her, naturally. She was sideways in his arms, her own arms dangling, she reached up and pressed her palm to his cheek, a grin surfacing on her lips before she kissed him lightly and stood. She grabbed his shoulders and turned away from him, pushing herself off of him, and resuming her dance.

_Goin' crazy from the moment I met you---_

The song was almost halfway through now, it always passed quickly when she danced. She kicked herself for, to put it bluntly, spazzing out so much and tried to get herself back into the dance.

Most of her dances were graceful, but she was rushing, and she jumped in place, a split in the air, landing purposely on her knees. She rolled onto her back and put her arm over her eyes, a dejected pose, her legs twisted to the right, bent at the knees. Her right arm was out straight against the floor and when the music picked up again she threw one leg up into the air, toes pointing to the ceiling, curled it in and rolled, landing in a crouch. Kairi straightened her back and brought both arms up towards the ceiling. When the girls in the song started to sing the chorus again a second later, she reached for the mirror, her fingers beckoning at Sora through the reflection.

Having retreated to the corner, he grinned, and Kairi smiled back. Her hair had fallen in her face, wisps of red covering her eyes.

She threw herself to the side and pressed her back to the mirror, arching her lower back forward, slid down slowly, out of time with the music but still working with it, so as the song ended, finally, and the violins came back in, she rested her head in her hands, fell to the left, and pressed herself to the floor. She let out a gust of air with the last note in the song, her eyes fluttering shut and then snapping back open as she heard Sora clapping from across the room.

Kairi smiled and sat up, her shoulder popping as she stretched, "Pick a song, if you're staying."

Sora grinned wider, ran across the room as Kairi pushed herself up, weighing on the mirror for support. "What song?" she brushed the hair from her eyes, twirling it around her fingers and letting it rest on her back, similar to the movement Vexen had used earlier, though much more feminine.

Sora, who was kneeling in front of the stereo, flashed a mischievous grin at her, something Kairi wasn't sure she liked. "Get ready!"

Kairi shook her head and turned to face the mirrors.

When the song started, she laughed, faked a glare at Sora. Just as she looked back at the mirrors to start the dance, the door to the room swung open. Cid stood there, panting.

"Sora! We need ya in the garden."

Sora nodded, glanced at Kairi, "Stay here, okay?"

Kairi sighed, "Be careful."

As he passed by, his hand brushed her shoulder, "You too."

As Sora walked out the door, Kairi put the song back to the beginning. It wasn't one she would've chosen to dance to, but she wasn't going to ignore it either- Sora had wanted it. Skillet wasn't really _anything_ to dance to, maybe sing along with, but dancing? Kairi laughed.

At the first few notes of the song, Kairi braced herself and stood taller, drawing in her breath. She was getting tired again, and she still had to go see Ansem.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw through the sunlit air and dust particles floating on the nonexistent breeze a mass of black, tangled and wrong in front of the door. There was the soft click of the door lock, barely audible over the music, and Kairi turned her head and took a step back, summoning her weapons and unconsciously striking a pose with one leg drawn out, toes pointed in an almost gracious manner towards the floor. The darkness around the door died down and as strips of black fell away from the figure, Kairi nearly screamed.

_I'm just a step away/I'm just a breath away/losing my faith today (We're fallin' off the edge today)_

_I am just a man, not superhuman (I'm not superhuman) Someone save me from the hate_

Ansem.

Not her old doctor, but the Heartless- orange eyes and all. He had his shoulders drawn back and his spine completely straight, arrogant and with his nose tipped up towards the ceiling._ What now?_ Kairi narrowed her eyes and spun her Chakrams. _Come get it. _

Unspoken and barely a second to react before the room was devoured by darkness, Kairi lunged, understanding that it was her fight. The distraction outside that was keeping Sora would fade just as soon as Kairi got rid of this…this _thing._ Fake, maybe a replica, maybe something else, she didn't care.

Drapes of black and swirling purple covered the windows. The music still blared but the mirrors were darkened, opaque and blurry. Kairi's stocking covered feet slid easily against the floor and her lunge turned into a slide, as Ansem ran at her with that signature sword of his, right through his legs. He roared in outrage, the darkness thrashing to him. The floor bucked beneath them and Kairi rolled, Ansem jumped and spun and landed and they ran at each other again.

_I need a hero to save me now I need a hero (save me now!) I need a hero to save my life, a hero will save me (just in time!)_

Ansem brought his sword down and Kairi back flipped, exhaling loud as she crouched, hair falling in her face again. She jumped back up, skipped forward and landed on the flat edge of his blade, which was still slammed into the ground. As quick as she could, Kairi jumped again, spun and kicked as hard as she could. Ansem's head snapped to the side and he swatted her out of the air as he turned away, the darkness catching her and slamming her to the wall.

_I gotta make a stand, but I am just a man, I'm not superhuman, my voice will be heard today_

The darkness curled around her, her vision fuzzy and her eyes rolling back in their sockets, her head having smacked back against the wall. Her arms spread and the Chakrams fell from her hands, clattering on the floor. Kairi blinked, moaned, her eyes widening as she saw the blurred version of Ansem rushing towards her. The darkness around her tightened and she was brought back to when Xemnas had dragged her from Sora, thrown her in the Realm of Darkness, and left her with _him._

_It's just another war, just another family torn. My voice will be heard today. It's just another kill. _

Kairi felt the darkness around her tighten and it became hard to breathe. She shut her eyes, bit her lip and –

The door slammed back on it's hinges, smacking the wall. A vicious yell, feet smacking the blackened floor, the sound of metal dragging across the ground.

_The countdown begins to destroy ourselves_

Kairi opened her eyes just as Sora's Keyblade clubbed Ansem in the side of the face. She used as much strength as she could muster to rip her legs from the darkness binding her to the wall and shoved them against Ansem's chest. Ansem fell back and as Sora skidded past, he put an arm around her waist and yanked her free. Kairi summoned her Chakrams back to her waiting hands and turned to meet Ansem.

_I need a hero, to save me now, I need a hero, save me now/ I need a hero to save my life, a hero will save me just in time_

Hellfire eyes flashed, the darkness beneath their feet bucked and the walls swayed, Kairi pin wheeled her arms and Sora crouched, from their perspective Ansem was a blip of white and orange eyes in rolling waves of ink. From the walls, tiny claws sprouted like flowers, yellow eyes pierced the shadows.

"Kairi," _'I need a hero to save my life, I need a hero, just in time…'_ Kairi didn't take her eyes off of Ansem, but she nodded, "Distract him. I've got a plan."

'_Save me just in time…save me just in time…'_

"Got it." She crouched like Sora and a mound of black erupted from the center of the room.

"You'll know what to do, Kairi." She nodded. Sora pulled his Keyblade back and sprinted, sucking in a deep breath of stale cold air, he bounded over another rounded off wave of darkness and out of the top of the hill in the center of the room, Ansem pushed through. His arms covered his face, shards of frozen darkness glittered in the air, Sora pushed off the ground as hard as he could, feeling the cold rip through his skin as the shell Ansem had been in cracked, caved in and burst out.

Two foot long shards flew at Kairi faster than she could evade them.

_Who's gonna fight for what's right? Who's gonna help us survive? We're in the fight of our lives and we're not ready to die. _

Sora back-flipped in the air and smashed Ansem's jaw against his toes, and with the added wind in the room, grabbed one of the shards end held it at an angle, catching the rift. He slashed his Keyblade down in an arc, Ansem caught it and ripped it out of Sora's hands, taking hold of his wrist and yanking him close.

_Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe?_

"Miss me?" His breath, warm and thick and foul, burned Sora's nose. Sora wedged his foot against Ansem's hip and kicked, Ansem wavered but didn't fall.

_I've got a hero, I've got a hero livin' in me!_

Kairi screamed, out of both fear and anger, and as her scream echoed with the music in the room, she felt the light within stir, moving in time with her rapidly rotating Chakrams. The edges of the pink and black weapons glowed, warmth in a room of frozen darkness and black glitter. Kairi moved as though newly energized, her limbs lithe and fast and precise, sheering through the darkness that flew at her, through the ground as she kicked pieces from the air and ran, criss-crossing her arms back and forth in front of herself, ducking under Sora's Keyblade, which ricocheted off the floor and skidded to a stop behind her. She flew, her feet grazing the surface of the darkness, barely breaking the thin air around her, a jet set of white and silver from the soles of her shoes. Kairi twirled and grabbed Sora, flinging him down towards the earth again, Ansem's nails digging into his skin, angry red marks to be discovered later.

_I'm gonna fight for what's right, today I'm speakin' my mind, and if it kills me tonight-_

Kairi let out a rabid yell and Ansem _shrieked_ because those light emitting Chakrams were coming at _his face_-

_I will be ready to die. _

_A hero's not afraid to give his life, a hero's gonna save me just in time. _

The left filleted a strip of skin and meat from Ansem's face, his nose hanging off a strand of skin, burnt and black. The right Chakram tore into his belly and Darkness spilled forth, covering Kairi's clothes, smoldering. The darkness in the room swayed and heaved and Ansem _screamed_ because the Light hurt, it burned, and he knew he had lost.

_I need a hero, to save me now, I need a hero, save me now. I need a hero to save my life; a hero will save me just in time. ( I need a hero) who's gonna fight for what's right, who's gonna help us survive? _

Kairi drew her arms back and threw them forward, her dance coming to an end, finally, as the edges of her weapons cut two clean lines across Ansem's tan and paling neck. Kairi's hair flew into her face as the darkness in the room imploded and she twisted, kicking off of Ansem's falling body to fly back to the other side of the room, her Chakrams disappearing.

_(I need a hero!) Who's gonna fight for the weak? Who's gonna make 'em believe? _

Sora stood and opened his arms, catching Kairi with a soft _whump!_ and throwing their bodies back to the ground. Ansem's gurgled yell echoed, he melted back into the thrashing darkness and then-

_I need a hero. A hero's gonna save me just in time._

-the song ended, the dance done with, and the Darkness dispersed, smoke and dust in the air, on the walls, on the floor.

--------

Ansem was sitting behind his desk when he heard the crash out in the hall, a strangled scream from one of the female nurses.

"_Sir!" _"_Someone, help!" "911!"_

He shoved the chair back, standing up so fast he grew slightly dizzy, he rushed across the room and threw open his office door.

The hallway had been painted black, nurses and orderlies and doctors were cowered in the corners and Xehanort stood in the center, his head thrown back, eyes bright yellow.

"_Youuuuu…stupiiid….giiiiirlll…"_ His voice was thick, heavy with blood. His arms bent at his sides and his fingers closed and opened rhythmically.

Ansem could not believe his eyes when the yellow of Xehanort's grew brighter, vibrant. It became two golden orbs embedded in burnt black skin, Xehanort's face contorting and wrinkling before he fell away, flakes of darkness floating into the air and dust piling on the floor. As his decaying body stood, the two gold eyes expanded, grew, and became a wavering, failing portal to the Realm of Darkness.

Ansem saw from behind Xehanort a number of familiar faces. Aeleus, hatred etched onto his chiseled features. Sephiroth, a strange glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face. Cloud, Leon and Tifa, all with wide eyes but understanding as Ansem nodded.

Sephiroth tore free from behind Aeleus.

Cloud, Tifa, Leon and Ansem ran forward, noticing the drop in temperature as they sprinted and slammed into one another, and the Realm of Darkness.

The portal closed, the darkness faded.

Sunlight poured into windows again. Xehanort was no more.

* * *

_:D!_

_I am SO excited to see what you guys have to sayyyyy~ Why? Many reasons._

_You got your Roxy, Kairi kicked ass, Xehanort died, and Tifa, Cloud, Leon, Ansem, and Sephiroth all hauled ass into the Realm of Darkness while they could. _

_Yes, I just summed up an almost 5,000 word chapter into one sentence. _

_Anyway XD;; Let me know what you think! A chapter told almost entirely through song and dance. Hope it's unique enough D Lurkers, come out and play, mmkay? Review! I want to reach 100 baby!!! _

_Have a great weeeek~_


	18. Plan

_Jdioafjwklejalkf I SORRY. _

_I'm so stupid DX I had severe writers block, plus a research paper and school shit and I am sorry DXXX _

_But, I can make up for it. Chapter is short, I think, butbutbut---_

_You guys are getting a picture, a scene from the story. AKA, my favorite scene._

_Should be up with the next chapter, or if I feel like updating fast early, the chapter I update with on Thursday, since I want another up by then anyway. _

_Want a hint? See chapter 15, it's somewhere in there. :) _

_Enjoy the chapter, and again, I'm sorry T.T_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

The petals were soft against her cheek. Lilies and tulips, a rainbow assortment of stems and soil gathered sunlight; she was sprawled in them, on her side with her face buried into the dirt. The sun was warm on her arms and she felt delicate thin fingers brush the hair from her brow as she stirred. Tifa wrinkled her nose and squeezed her eyes shut tighter before opening them, pupils dilating at the sunlight, she waited and moved them up steadily from the pale knees bent in front of her, the white dress smudged with paint to pale blond hair and blue eyes.

Naminé pulled her hand back and smiled, her hair golden in the rays of the sun. "Hi there."

Tifa moved her hand from its original position, palm sliding against the ground and through impossibly lush grass as she pushed herself up. "Are you…Naminé?"

Naminé's smile grew, "Yes. You're from our world, Tifa, right?"

Tifa nodded and grunted as she sat up, her back aching something fierce and her head foggy. She couldn't remember anything past jumping into the portal of Darkness.

She bent her knees and pushed off the ground, standing up with her shoulders drawn back as she ran her fingers through her hair, straightening it out. She looked around for a moment, hearing other footsteps around the garden they appeared to be in. "Where's Cloud?"

Naminé stood, brushing off her skirt, "Cloud's here too?" she tilted her head, "I haven't heard anything. We only just found you."

Tifa nodded, then glanced back, " 'We'?"

* * *

This was wrong. It was stupid and _nothing_ and just not _right._

Ansem knew it was not right, but at the same time….Everything fit. Like pieces of a puzzle falling together, snapping into place and forming the whole disturbing picture, everything fit.

Xemnas, The Superior and his _pets_ these _fiends_. They were soulless, mindless. Insane.

Vexen's image was distorted by the smooth steel bars around his cage, cutting through the scientist with precision as he worked on the other side of the room. His hair was the same, his eyes as vibrant and voice as oddly pitched. Vexen, Even, Even, Vexen. They were one in the same.

Ansem lowered his eyes and looked at the floor of the little cage he was in. He inched away from the rust colored stain to his left; a smattering of red and brown against rough gray concrete. His back ached, his neck was sore. This place was cold and he needed a drink, some food. He couldn't remember anything but the cold of running through that portal so quickly- maybe a face painted with disbelief as he ran past, a scared employee cowering in the corner.

He thought of the look on that _thing's_ face as it faded away, an explosion of dark.

He thought of his friends, if they were in fact all right or trapped somewhere as he was.

Ansem rubbed calloused palms together, puffed air into the chamber they made, rubbed them together again.

He froze when the door slid open and in walked Xemnas.

The Nobody carried an air around him, in the way that he walked and talked and stared. His shoulders drawn back signified strength, his short movements showed strictness. His smile showed no mercy.

He was headed for Ansem's cell. Xemnas brushed past the look Vexen gave him; a mix of feigned annoyance and amusement.

Ansem straightened his back, much to its displeasure, and drew back his own shoulders as well. He refused to let that _thing_ that he already hated within an hour of being awake, know that he had know power, no control (even though Xemnas knew this already) – He refused to let Xemnas know he was just going to bow down.

"Ansem." Xemnas stopped in front of the cage's bars, coming down in a swift movement to one knee, the other bent with his arm over it. His eyes found Ansem's. "There were others with you."

Ansem nodded, "Yes." No use lying, he was going to figure it out anyway when he saw Cloud and Leon and Tifa running around. A sickening thought came to him, "They…aren't here?"

Xemnas shook his head slow, said in a drawl, "We'll find them. How many?"

Ansem closed his eyes, "Three others." He rested his head back against the wall. "How does it feel, now that Xehanort is gone?"

Xemnas's hand came up around one of the bars. It was so sudden the bar clanged in place, shaking in its spot, and Vexen stumbled in his work, casting an angry glance over his shoulder. Xemnas's voice was quiet. "What do _you_ know about him?"

Ansem was about to speak when Vexen chimed in, "Superior. Be careful….your strength?"

Xemnas shook his head, standing up but clearly leaning on the steel bar of the cell for support. "Let me know if you find them." He met Ansem's eyes for a moment before turning back, walking out of the door with that same air around him. As the door started to shut, another person came in.

Ansem was sure he recognized the voice, as Kurix pushed in and said to Vexen, "Roxas is asleep. I'll teach him what he needs to know when he's got his strength up." Vexen didn't look up or respond, but carried on with his work. Kurix's eyes found Ansem in the cage and he raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"

Ansem cleared his throat, regretting it at the sound of the new rasp in his voice, and said, "Ansem. From Kairi's world."

Kurix's eyes widened. A thought struck him; Ansem watched it pass through his eyes like a current, a spark of something amidst the rejection he was bearing. Kurix glanced at Vexen, "Vexen, I forgot to tell you, Lexeaus wanted to speak with you. He's in his room."

Vexen glanced up, "Very well then." He put down the book and pen he was holding and turned off the monitor on his computer screen, then turned and walked around the lab table, shoving his shoulder into Kurix's as he walked past him, and was out the door.

Ansem wasn't sure if he liked the smile on Kurix's face or not, as he came over. One thing he was certain of, though, as much as he hated to admit it.

He was in serious trouble, and unless he found a way out of there, he wasn't going to last much longer. .

* * *

"So you'll find them?" Tifa eased back into the red plush chair, running her fingertips over the ends of the arms. She was in The King's study with Naminé, Sora, Kairi, Riku, and The King himself. She had been staring out the ceiling to floor windows for the longest time while the others talked, discussed which worlds to go to, where their friends could possibly be. She couldn't believe how beautiful Disney was- all the animated movies she had seen put together couldn't amount to anything close to the vibrant colors, the funny characters, the sheer _light_ the world had.

On the outside of the window was a clear blue sky, green trees and red roofs, flower gardens splattered here and there like paint. A monarch butterfly flittered past the window and momentarily settled on the wooden crossbeams inset in the glass, flexing its wings slow before bouncing off into the air again.

Now, Tifa turned her head as she asked the question, focusing mainly on Kairi. Kairi nodded, "We'll bring them back, it's just a matter of figuring out which world they're on. There's a lot of them, but if you're here then it's a possibility they are too, just somewhere else, or on a neighboring world."

Sora said, "Plus, we've got The King's knights scouting the towns. If anyone's seen them, we'll know."

Feeling somewhat reassured, Tifa sat back into the chair, settling herself in. "So when are you leaving?"

Kairi glanced at Sora, "I'll stay. You go."

Sora nodded, grateful for the fact that he didn't have to fight her on going alone. "I'll be back." Sora swooped in, a soft peck on the cheek that made Kairi grin as he pulled away fast and turned to Riku, "Ready to go?"

Riku nodded, turned, and was spun back around by a small pale hand on his upper arm. Riku raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

Before anything else could be said, Naminé had grabbed him by the neck of his coat and tugged him down, her fists turning in the leather and fingers slipping against it. She pushed her lips against his, pulled away just enough so their noses were still wrinkled to one another's and said, "Be careful."

Riku smiled, kissed Naminé a little more gently and said, "Of course." Before detangling her hands from his coat and standing back up straight. He rolled his eyes at the grin on Sora's face and opened a portal to the Darkness.

* * *

"Are you in, or not?" Kurix was on his knees in front of Ansem's cage, his hands wrapped around the bars and his eyes wide. He was hopeful, and Ansem could see why. To Kurix, he was the fake Nobody's only escape, or, to be more precise, fastest.

Ansem crossed his arms, glanced at the door, "Forgive me for not trusting you, Kurix."

Kurix shook his head, "This place is painful. I'm nothing, and so are you." He narrowed his eyes, brow wrinkling in the slightest and licking his lips, "Wouldn't you rather be with your friends? Or would you like to die a slow and painful death here, all alone?"

Their eyes caught each others and Ansem found himself looking away, glancing briefly at the maroon stain speckling the concrete floor.

Kurix was right.

Clearing his throat again, Ansem said, "When?"

Kurix grinned, "A day, at most. I need to teach my friend the ropes and then we'll start."

Ansem shook his head, "And you'll bring me to Kairi?" Kurix nodded, "But you aren't their friend." It wasn't a question.

Kurix sighed, slumping forward so his forehead pressed against the coolness of the bars, "No. Not in the slightest. I attacked their friend, Riku."

And just like that, it clicked.

No wonder his voice sounded so familiar- he was a _clone._

Riku….Kurix….

"What's your friend's name again?" Ansem found his eyes betraying him as Kurix's smile turned to a smirk, his newly found observation clear.

"Roxas."

Ansem was smart enough to figure out the anagram. "And _why _should I trust you again?"

Kurix spared a look at the door, smelling Vexen's scent from down the hall. "Because neither of us," he lowered his voice, "Have any use here. Roxas is the new Replica. I was the first, and now Roxas is the _"improved"_ version. Once he's at full strength I'm a goner, I know that." He shifted, got back to his feet but stayed crouched, "I'll come in the day of, early, before Vexen's in. I'll do my job, Roxas will do his, and you go free."

Ansem shook his head, "And the catch?"

Kurix lowered his voice again, barely above a whisper and hard to hear over the constant beeps and groans of Vexen's equipment. "Promise that Kairi will trust you enough not to kill Roxas and myself on sight, and you've got a deal."

Ansem sighed, "I can't promise. You hurt her friend- her actions are her own. However," he sat back, "Get rid of your weapons when we get there, and she might reconsider." Of course, he was only going on what Kairi had told him about Xion. The circumstances were different, being that Xion hadn't attacked them directly (except under Ansem's control) and that Kurix had, but…

His stomach rumbled and he felt his throat growing dryer.

He needed to get out.

The door opened, Vexen walked in, Kurix was the one to shove past him this time.

_

* * *

_

jfdkla;fjdlaf

_So…yeah. It's sucky. I'm sorry ;.;_

_Buuuut- I've got that surprise for you guys. Next chapter will be up by Thursday, and you can check my profile then for the gift._

_Have a great weekend, can we PLEASE break 100 this time? It's TAUNTING ME. _

_XD_


	19. Sephiroth

_So…I just finished this about two minutes ago, so don't get upset if there are typos. I'm rushing here so you guys can read this. _

_I vented a lot in this one, so if the characters seem slightly off I'm sorry . I kept them as in character as I could. _

_Enjoy, anyway :P _

_Next chapter up by…Tuesday :3_

_Enjoy!~_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

"What the hell are these things?!" Leon pressed his back to the wall, narrowing his eyes.

At first entering the new world, he had almost passed out. His vision had blurred and shifted to unbelievable levels, swimming like soup and melted ice cream- everything was still itself but combined, unable to be picked apart by fingers and a sharp mind.

As they moved closer, Leon grabbed the only object even remotely fatal near him. A splintered baseball bat, the handle still whole but the wood waterlogged and rotting, cracked and chipped.

Seeing the dip from one universe to the next was surreal. Colors stirred, warped, air bending and folding and things changing. He wasn't sure how, but things just felt _different_. Like anything was capable of happening; things that couldn't- _shouldn't_- but probably would.

Chasing shadows with his eyes, Leon watched the Heartless twitch, melting into the ground and skittering as flat as paper against the concrete, pulling themselves back into three dimensional.

Being pushed from the Realm of Darkness after hurtling himself in was like being born again. A tear in the sky, a few feet above the ground, had been cut open with an invisible knife, the air emitting a sound similar to fabric ripping. Leon had flown out of it at a decent enough speed- enough that when he landed, he had to roll on his side for a moment or two before slamming into the wall.

He had no idea _why _he was awake. He had been sure he'd black out at some point, between feeling the universe stretch and collide and things melting all around him, the way he'd felt light headed and like he was falling through thin sheets of paper, breaking through membranes of worlds and being wrapped up in the next- it had been so overwhelming, he was sure he'd pass out. When he flew through the rip in the darkness that led him to where he was now, the air had constricted so tight upon his chest he felt his heart was bound to give out.

Leon raised the broken bat over his shoulder, turning his hips and shoulders, recalling a very old set of memories that concerned him in a local Little League team when he was younger. He snorted, '_Batter up.'_

The first Shadow writhed, eased back on its feet and flung itself forward, claws extended. Leon swung hard, catching it in its chest and sending it through the air. The other Shadows seemed to halt for a moment, heads turning in time to follow their fallen as it slammed into a nearby wall and disintegrated.

Leon readied himself as their yellow eyes found their way back to him and all at once, they seemed to take the same position the first had, ready to launch themselves across the alley way.

The air became dark with soaring Heartless.

There were two voices, the speakers unseen in the chaos.

"_Sora, now!"_

"_Got it!"_

There was a streak of silver white light, a ribbon of black and purple, and the Heartless were suspended in the air, frozen for a split second before bursting into puffs of black. Leon covered his eyes with his hand, slackening his grip on the bat.

Two Keyblades buried themselves four inches deep into the brick wall on either side of Leon.

While black confetti lingered in the air, Sora called his Keyblade back, walking through the cloud to find Leon. He gave the man a grin that erased all doubts of trust in a single instant.

"You're-"

"Leon." Leon let the bat drop. His eyes fell on Riku, as he walked past and ripped his weapon from the wall.

"Come on," Riku had already turned back around, "We have to find your friend."

* * *

"Tifa?"

Tifa turned at the sound of her name, raising her eyebrows. Kairi was leaning against the bookcase behind her, her arms crossed and her eyes to the ground. Tifa tilted her head, shutting the book she had in her hands, "Yes?"

Kairi bit her lip, grinding her teeth against it in her usual nervous habit. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, as if cold, and said, "Do you…Do you know anything about my parents?"

Tifa smiled, closing her eyes as she ran her fingers up and down the spine of the book. It was old leather, brown and faded and rough. "Yes."

Kairi looked up, standing a little straighter, "And? Are they okay? Do you know?"

Tifa held up her hands, "Slow down," she turned and pushed the book back into its place, and turning back to Kairi, said, "Your parents are fine, as far as I know. Last I heard was that the elections are coming up again and your father isn't running."

Kairi put her hand to her mouth, her eyes growing wide, "What?"

Tifa dragged her fingers through her hair, sighing, "Everyone thinks your dead. Kairi," she breathed deep, "I know Ansem said they believed him, about all this, but…You can't blame them for having doubts."

Kairi nodded, her hand still to her mouth, still biting her lip. She had taken to staring at the floor, grinding the toe of her foot into the plush red carpet that lined the library. "Why wouldn't they?" she looked up, taking her hand away. Kairi closed her eyes and a moment later opened them, shaking herself like a dog would coming out of water.

"Kairi?" Tifa put her hand on her shoulder and Kairi shook her head, turning her dreary look into a smile.

"Never mind. Come on, I've got some friends for you to meet." She grabbed Tifa's hand and led her out of the library.

* * *

"So…" Naminé held her sketchbook to her chest, finding she was gripping it so hard her knuckles had turned white. The spiral binding was pressed to her chest, little red indentations forming as she clutched the sheets of paper like a shield. "You're…A friend of Cloud and Tifa?"

She took a small step back, toes first finding grass and begging for comfort. She was in the garden, drawing, and now a new person had shown up- someone she'd never seen before.

"Yes." With every step back that Naminé took, Sephiroth inched a little closer.

She did not like him, whoever he was.

Sephiroth turned his head as if listening, impossibly long hair falling over his shoulders, a sheer curtain over his eyes. "Is anyone else around, Naminé?" Those eyes were different. Cat's eyes, she thought.

'_LIE.' _She shook her head, biting her lip like her sister had done to her own.

Sephiroth's lips twitched into a smile, "Well then…Do you like to draw?" another step.

Another nod.

"Good." He eyed the open pack of colored pencils scattered around the small indent in the grass where Naminé had been sitting. He motioned to them, "Are they yours?"

Nod.

Naminé's heart was slamming against her ribs- she had no idea why. She had no reason to believe this man was nice (he _wasn't_ she knew just by that look in his eyes) but she had no reason to believe she couldn't at least escape. She'd gotten stronger and-

"Would you like them back?"

Naminé froze.

'_Fuck the pencils, I can get new ones.'_

"Y-You can have them." She took another step back, "I…I have to go."

Sephiroth was close enough to them that he could lean down and scoop them up in his hands, rolling them around in his palm. They were well used, the ends chewed in thought, the tips uneven and blunt. His smile seemed to change; how, Naminé couldn't describe, but he held them out to her nonetheless and said, "Here. Take them."

"I…"

'_Run, stupid.' _

"Go on." He took a step closer and Naminé noticed the way the distance between them had shortened drastically with that one step.

'_NonononoRUNYOUIDIOTRUN'_

Naminé thought of Riku and how she'd made him promise to be safe.

* * *

It was dark, wherever they were. Ansem had no way of knowing the time, or the date, or how long it had been. They had covered the windows with heavy curtains, turned the clocks around. Not that he could _see_ in the dark. The lights were off and the only sight he was granted was from the LED flashing lights on Vexen's monitor, the tiny pinpoints of color.

Ansem shifted and both heard and felt his hip pop, he sighed.

The door to the room opened and the light switch was turned up, snapping into place. In the doorway, a blurry silhouette to Ansem's darkness accustomed eyes, stood Kurix. He held a tray of something, food, obviously, and a glass. He stepped in quick and shut the door.

As he walked over he said, "Be fast. I'm not even supposed to bring you anything, let alone be in here." He opened the door to the cage and slid the food in, drink and all.

Ansem seized it and tore at a piece of bread.

Kurix went on, brushing hair from his face, "Roxas said he'll be feeling better by tomorrow, or the day after. We'll get to leave soon." He took back the empty tray, "You remember our deal, right?"

Ansem nodded, "Yes." He turned his attention to the water in the glass.

"Good." When Ansem was done, Kurix took the rest of what he'd brought and turned around, coming out of the cell and shutting the door. When he got the door to the room, he turned and said, "If anything happens to Roxas, the deal is off." and he walked out, slapping the switch for the lights down as he did.

* * *

"Vincent?" Kairi ran her hands up and down her arms, glancing from the two newly acquainted friends to the garden.

"Yes?" he turned too, following Kairi's gaze.

Tifa tilted her head, "Everything okay?"

Kairi shook her head, "Naminé's out there alone, isn't she?"

* * *

"So he has spiky hair, blue eyes, and is about your height?" Sora was swinging his Keyblade as they walked.

Leon nodded, "That's Cloud, yeah."

Riku scratched his nose, "So we're looking for an older, blond version of Sora?"

Sora rolled his eyes, "Haha, Riku."

Leon shook his head and couldn't help the beginnings of a smile, "Guess so."

They were still on the world Leon had ended up on, hoping that Cloud would wind up there too and make their lives a little easier. Radiant Garden wasn't too big, but had a fair amount of people holed up on it.

As they came through the Market Place, Sora pointed a finger at a group of people crowding around a nearby store. "There!"

Cloud raised his head. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He pulled himself away, "Leon?"

As Sora and Leon walked forward, Riku stopped.

Sora turned mid step, Leon kept going, "Riku?"

Riku narrowed his eyes and pulled out his Keyblade. "Something isn't right."

* * *

"Please don't…"

There were pictures all over the garden. Flowers. Battle scenes. Riku, drawings done in the middle of the night when pesky alarms wouldn't wake him.

Naminé felt disgust and anger. "Stop it."

Sephiroth's arms were around her, one around her back, the other her shoulders. There was a knife in his hand and it pressed against her neck. He lowered his face to hers and breathed to her ear, "Do as I say, and you won't be hurt."

Naminé's eyes widened, the knife was cutting into her skin and again she thought of Riku.

Her silence was answer enough, "Good." Sephiroth leaned in.

"Get your hands _off of her._" Riku was first, even as Kairi rounded the corner in a sprint. He had Way to the Dawn out and a look on his face Naminé had never seen.

Sephiroth pulled back, turned Naminé so she was facing Riku.

Sora, Leon, Cloud, Tifa and Vincent were next, stopping just behind Kairi. Kairi glanced at them, "Who _is_ that?"

Leon shook his head, "One of Ansem's patients. He's…" He shook his head, "Insane. He's killed a lot of people."

Tifa grabbed Cloud's hand as she said, "What's he doing here?"

Cloud's eyes were fixed on Sephiroth, "He followed us."

"Don't make me say it again." Riku took a few steps forward, "Let her go. _Now._"

Sephiroth ran his fingers through Naminé's hair, staring at Riku as he said, "As you wish." He took the knife away from her neck and shoved her forward. Naminé ran and threw her arms around Riku.

"Go." Riku lowered his head, hair in his eyes, one hand rubbing small circles on Naminé's back.

Sephiroth smiled, "See you…" he turned, and his body seemed to be vanishing, transparent, "…Naminé."

As he faded completely, a single black feather fell from the sky, landing just on the picture Naminé had made- the image of Riku and Kurix and that quote, _When angels need protecting._

_

* * *

_

I realize half of this chapter sucks (in my opinion, anyway). It occurred to me that I needed to vent, and since I was being stubborn and didn't feel like writing a poem, I put whatever I felt into this.

_Gosh, I hope I don't offend anyone. _

_And by the way, I know this story has cursing, but no…Lemon, lime, whatever the hell you wanna call it. _

_So don't worry, but I have a feeling this chapter is a stepping stone for some other epic scene later on. XD _

_That's generally the way it works, so…yeah XD; Leave a review please!_

_ONE HUNDRED. GAHHHHHHHH . _

_Oh, and the picture- I haven't forgotten it! It should be up sometime tomorrow. I only have access to photoshop in school, and it isn't done yet. I'll bust my ass tomorrow to get it done. _

_Peace~_


	20. Rise : A b o v e : This

_Djkal;djkfla;d f FINALLY got that picture up on DA. I'll post a link on my profile just in case, otherwise, you guys got it in a PM from me. _

_Enjoy the new chapter, ending is the best part I think xD _

_Go to my poll after, mmkay?_

_Enjoy~_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

'_Breathe, Kairi. Just breathe.' _

She ran her hands through her hair, to steady them if anything. She sucked in a gust of air through her mouth and her hair fell back into her face. Under the fluorescents in the bathroom, her skin was pasty and the red of her hair too dark. Two steady lines of tears from both eyes and a pile of tissues beside her, resting by the water filled sink.

There was a knock on the door but Kairi ignored it.

"Kairi…" Sora. Muffled voice and she could hear his fingertips sliding down the wood of the door, soft. She heard the quiet thud of his forehead as he leaned. "Come on. We'll find him."

Kairi shook her head and turned to the mirror, wiping her eyes with her hands and grabbing the edge of the counter. She sniffed loud and broke another sob. Kairi rubbed her face with her palms, plunged them into the water of the sink. It was shocking, too cold and numbed her skin on contact- what she wanted. She splashed a wave into her face and rubbed her eyes with wet fists.

Opening her eyes again, she found she looked sickly. Her hair had gotten wet and the soaked layers framing her face were darker, an almost black comma of wet hair clung her forehead. A curl of dark crimson on her cheek.

She'd broken into tears when she'd realized that no one knew where Ansem was, but that he _had_ run into the darkness with everyone else. It had been a day now, and she knew what that meant.

"Kairi…" Sora turned and pushed his back against the door, bending his knees and sitting. He crossed his legs Indian style and put his arms behind his head.

He could just as easily unlock the door with his Keyblade (something Kairi was also aware of) but he didn't. Privacy first, and aside from that he had a feeling Kairi would just kick him out and lock the door again anyway. No use upsetting her more.

Kairi shook her head, rubbing the tip of her nose and breathing deep. She glanced at the hand towel on its little plastic rack under the mirror and grabbed it, snapping it as she dried her hands and then patted her face down. She rolled it into a ball and tossed it back on the counter, pulled the stopper in the sink to drain the water and showed whatever tissues were lying on the counter to the wastebasket.

Kairi unlocked the door and pulled it open slow, looking down. Sora turned and jumped to his feet.

Without hesitation, he pulled her in his arms, wrapping them tight around her as she flung her own around his shoulders, squeezing him to her as if he'd leave. Sora kissed the spot above her left ear. "We'll find him. I promise."

Kairi nodded, buried her face in his neck and wondered where Ansem was.

* * *

He…really didn't know what he was. His hair, his skin, his eyes, lips and eyelashes and fingers and all- all had been modeled after someone else. Another living thing and he had no right to exist.

Roxas stared down the mirror with a pair of eyes soaking in pain. He didn't know why he existed other than to be a replica, a fake, of something- some_one_ better. Kurix had told him that he himself had been made directly after another boy, Riku, and he'd come out weaker. With that in mind, Roxas had no idea how to treat himself, how to carry himself. He had found out through a series of carefully worded questions how he had been made; observations and data from a five minute fight between Sora and a few other members.

The day before, when Kurix was out sneaking food to the "prisoner", Ansem, Roxas had stood in that exact spot and grabbed a pen, a black one. He'd stood there for a good ten minutes, working the letters out on his forehead, printing it out in plain sight; FAKE.

Vexen had walked in two minutes later, as Roxas stood admiring his work. He'd grabbed Roxas by his wrist and scrubbed it off his skin, muttering things about being "brand new" and "tarnishing" what he'd worked so hard to create.

At first, Roxas had thought Kurix might be being a little too harsh in the way he described Vexen. ('_He's not called the Chilly Academic for no reason. Nobodies can't feel and Vexen's the perfect bastard of an example. He's the ice queen of the castle.')_ But, after only a few talks with his creator, he'd found that Kurix was right.

Roxas twirled a Keyblade around his hand similar to how Sora always did. He didn't know if it was real or not, but he'd vowed not to show Vexen. He didn't need to even ask Kurix to understand that that would equal one huge mistake.

When it'd first appeared, he had no idea what it was.

Kurix looked like his heart was palpitating when he saw it. Roxas had laid it across the bed he had been stuck in since his "birth" and the light from the window had made it seem even more ethereal than it already looked- bright, new. The silver and gold polar opposites against the black comforter. Roxas had memorized every groove, every link of chain, every curve and color. He didn't even know how to use it and yet it still felt right, even for a fake, it was _his_.

There was a knock on the door and Roxas didn't need to ask to know who it was, "It's okay, Kurix."

The door opened and Kurix was in, sliding through the smallest opening he could make. "Are you almost ready, Roxas?"

Roxas nodded. "Yeah." He looked down at the new clothes he'd been given. All black like Kurix's uniform, like the others. "We should get new clothes."

Kurix snorted, "Those _are_ new."

Roxas tilted his head as he looked over, twirling the Keyblade again, "You know what I mean, Kury."

His friend rolled his eyes, "Kurix, _Roxy_. Got it _memorized_?"

Roxas laughed and shook his head, "We should though. Get new clothes. These…they make us like everyone else. Like we're part of the Organization still when-"

Kurix put a finger over his lips, "Shut up!" he glanced at the door, "If Saїx hears us we're dead."

Roxas nodded, "Think about it, though."

Kurix sighed, made his way over to the bed and sat down, "And what money are we going to use?"

Roxas looked down and scratched his head, "Uhhh…"

Kurix raised an eyebrow, "What?" he leaned back on his hands, "Roxas…" Said Replica looked up with a nervous smile and pulled a little blue pouch of munny out of his pocket. Kurix laughed, "What did you…? Is that _Vexen's_?"

Roxas smirked, "I couldn't resist."

* * *

Naminé stared at Riku. Riku stared back.

Sitting on their bed, Naminé was curled into his lap, twisted and angled with her arms around his neck and fingers in his hair. Her forehead was pressed to his, blond and white streaked her vision. Their eyes were locked, breath mixed. It was one of those moments no one would want to break.

Riku said in a voice he only used around her, soft and quiet and gentle, "You're sure you're all right, Naminé?"

"Yes." Hers was very much the same. Sweet and soft. Naminé pulled pale fingers through his hair and played with the ends. "I promise. You saved me."

Riku shook his head slow, breaking eye contact and resting his head on her shoulder. "I shouldn't have left you alone."

Naminé sighed and felt his arms tighten around her, she was pulled closer to him and smiled, "I wasn't hurt, I mean…" she touched the mark left on her neck, "It takes a lot more than that to scare _me_." Riku snorted and Naminé started to laugh, "Hey!"

Pulling back, Riku kissed her cheek, "Of course, Naminé. I must've forgotten, with all the _fighting _you do in your spare time."

Naminé rolled her eyes, "I mean I've been through worse," she smacked his shoulder and leaned back, "I'm okay. Promise."

He gave her a smile, but it was small. She could see in his eyes what he was thinking about- that green seemed to darken and melt with the blue. Naminé put her finger to her chin thoughtfully; she would have to remember the way they looked now. Still, it was clear he was remembering how she had been when he'd found her with Ansem.

_Her voice came out cracked and weary, "Ok-"_

_"__ANSEM!"__ he looked up in time to see Way to the Dawn spinning through the air. It collided with his nose a moment later, crushing bone and spurting blood as the hilt hit him first and he fell back with a cry of anger. He loosened his grip on Naminé's hair and she could hardly push herself away from him._

_Xion had stepped to the side to let Sora, Riku and Kairi in and at the moment Riku was all but flying across the field. He summoned Way to the Dawn again and as his eyes found Naminé, who had turned onto her back again as Ansem let go of her._

_Green eyes met blue optics and Riku felt the Darkness in his heart boiling, the Light wrapping around it quickly__ as_ _his face twisted to a snarl of rage. Sora was beside him in a second but Riku shook his head,_

"I'll take care of you, Naminé." Without further warning, Riku cradled her face in his hands and kissed her. His lips were warm and it felt much like their very first kiss- soft, plush and so real, as if their feelings were a tangible force weighing down the air and lifting them up. Naminé's arms around him loosened, her hands traveling down his back to clasp comfortably by his waist. She leaned in and breathed through her nose, Riku smiled when he pulled away, satisfied.

Naminé's eyes remained shut for a moment after, and when they fluttered open she smiled too, her voice airy, "I know." She grinned when she felt fingers running through her hair, "You're such a sap."

Riku smirked, "That's _your_ fault."

* * *

The look that surfaced on Vexen's face was priceless, as Kurix had started down the outside hall in a jog, passing by Saїx on his way, Roxas close behind.

The first few moments of springing their plan into action had been both scary and critical- if their nervousness betrayed them or they looked in anyway guilty, someone would notice. If they slipped up and seemed to be up to something then the entire plan would be thrown for a loop and recovery would be impossible.

Kurix had opened the door to Vexen's lab just as he always did, smoothly and with his head down, the door soundless as it whisked two inches above the floor, the hinges new. Vexen was standing with his back to the doorway, tinkering with whatever his newest idea was; the unmistakable clinking of glass beakers, a scribble from a pen. He wasn't paying attention.

Ansem, on the other hand, had been on alert the moment the door opened. He straightened himself and nodded; Kurix nodded back and took two steps forward, clearing his throat.

"Vexen." In the hallway, Roxas stopped short and summoned his Keyblade, just out of sight from the doorway, as Kurix had eased the door shut a few inches. He turned and pressed his back to the wall, arm raised and ready.

Vexen jumped and turned around, dropping whatever he had in his hands, "Funny, Kurix. I don't recall calling for _you _just ye-"

"Roxas is here." Kurix stepped to the side and pushed the door open fully, tilting his head in the direction of the hallway. He crossed his arms and Vexen missed the knowing amusement on his face.

Vexen's eyes grew wide, sparkling green in fluorescents; he leaned in and smiled a feral grin from ear to ear like a knowing predator.

Roxas turned the corner, lashing his arm down, letting go of the Keyblade. It spun through the air a lethal chunk of silver and gold, the chain rattling as it twirled end after end. The expression was frozen on Vexen's face as the tip of the Keyblade struck his chest, just where his heart would be, and sunk in. Ribs broke, cracked, chips of white colored red and a small, voiceless wisp of air from Vexen's mouth. Blond hair was pulled back by the force of the wind from the blow, his eyes having followed the Keyblade from Roxas's hand to where it landed. His eyes grew wider and his hands came up as if trying to cradle the life back into himself, like trying to keep liquid from overflowing its container, and they shook, trembled. Vexen's lips twitched and he flicked his eyes from Roxas to Kurix.

Roxas raised his hand and called back his Keyblade, stepping inside fully and shutting the door. Kurix nodded to him, "Go get Ansem." Roxas tore his eyes from Vexen and went to help Ansem out, who had watched the whole event from his small cell.

Kurix uncrossed his arms, pulling himself from the wall and taking hard steps over tiled floor. He glanced at the chair he had been seated in when he was first created, the way Vexen had wiped muck from his face with a downy soft towel, fussing over him like he was a real child. He stopped in front of Vexen and grabbed those shaking hands, rubbing his thumbs along the backs of them in a mockingly soothing manner. He made his voice soft and leaned in, "Do you remember what you said to Riku, when you made me?" Vexen's eyes were becoming glassy, "Let me remind you- 'It's why we needed you, Riku, you're our experiment.'." Kurix pushed closer, so their noses touched, "I'm one hell of an experiment, aren't I?"

Vexen sucked in a breath so sharp he squeezed his eyes shut, and Kurix summoned his weapon, that sword that looked just like Ansem's. He put a hand on Vexen's shoulder, dug his fingers into black leather coat, and shoved the blade into Vexen's stomach hilt deep.

Standing back with Ansem leaning against Roxas's shoulder, both Roxas and Kurix watched as their creator stumbled, hit the lab counter, and started to fade.

The door opened just a moment after Roxas and Kurix brought Ansem out, trying to find their way to Disney.

_

* * *

_

Sooo….yeah xD Kury got his reveeeeenge :P

_Go look at the picture, mmkay? It's on my DA account :3_

_Next update will be…..I wanna say next Friday, or maybe earlier. I'll aim for Friday. :) _

_Have a nice week, leave a review on your way out~_


	21. Oathkeeper Or Oblivion

_YAYYYY early chapter! :D_

_Hope you enjoy~ This is probably not what anyone's actually expecting here for Roxas and Kurix meeting Sora and Riku but…_

_Oh, you'll see :B_

_Enjoy~_

………………………………………_**.**_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

Things had all happened so fast.

In one moment, it had been just the four of them- Sora and Kairi sprawled out on the grass, staring up at the sky and Naminé and Riku nearby; Naminé drawing flowers, of course, and Riku half asleep with his head on her shoulder. The moment had seemed perfect, the weather was clear and warm and Kairi could feel the heat of Sora's body lying next her traveling through the grass. Birds chirped in the lush cages of bushes and, as a butterfly flittered overhead, wings an impossible shade of red, Kairi reached her hand up in its wake. She had turned her head and smiled at Sora and he had smiled back.

Then there was that sound- that low warping of air and darkness pushing against each other as the familiar black oval formed. The four of them were up and ready in an instant but no one was prepared to see Ansem stumble out, clearly tired and weak, and Roxas and Kurix follow after.

Kairi and Naminé had no time to react, as soon as the portal closed Riku and Sora had been on the attack.

Sora had lunged at Roxas, Oathkeeper held high. Roxas scrambled out of the way, not summoning his own, he glanced at Kurix, who was dodging as many of Riku's attacks as he could. "Kurix!"

Kurix shook his head, parrying an attack as he did, "Listen, we're not-" Riku swept his feet out from under him and Kurix was forced to roll to his right or be speared by the oncoming Keyblade.

Way to the Dawn sunk a good inch and a half into the dirt and grass and Riku glared at him, "Get out of here."

Roxas watched as Riku pulled out his weapon and prepared to do the attack again, Kurix scooting back on his hands as he did but unable to get up in time. Roxas turned, ducking out of Sora's way, and plowed his shoulder into Riku's side. The two of them toppled over, landing in a nearby flower bed.

"Boys!" Naminé stood at the edge of the battle, her sketchbook clutched to her chest. She glanced at Kairi, who had run to Ansem's side the second she had seen it was him.

There was something wrong, here, with this battle. Sora and Riku were the only ones attacking, Kurix and whoever that blond were weren't even really defending themselves, they were just kind of…dodging.

Sora grabbed Roxas by his ankle, dragging him back as Riku pushed himself up, raising Way to the Dawn as he lunged at Kurix again. Kurix turned his sword on its side and caught the attack, shoving back hard enough to make the both of them stumble. He tried again, "We aren't here to-" Riku's Keyblade whizzed past his face, a bare inch free from his nose, "_Listen_ to me!"

Behind them, Roxas had kicked Sora with his free leg, twisted and stood, jumping away from him to keep his distance. They were circling each other like sharks, Sora with Oathkeeper pulled back and Roxas summoning his Keyblade, having it drag in the ground behind him. He was about to speak when Sora sprinted across the small distance between them, slashing down from the right with Oathkeeper. Roxas took a step back, raising his weapon to meet Sora's. The two Keyblades clanged against each other, sending vibrations down the blades and handles and through their skin, little white sparks in the air. Both stopped then, faltering for a moment.

Sora pulled Oathkeeper back again and swung, Roxas blocked and as he did, the silver blade of his weapon turned black and gray, intricate, a silver chain in its center, the golden handle black to match and a small, purple diamond where it met the blade. A keychain in the shape of a black crown danced in the air. As Sora pulled away, brow knit together in confusion, Roxas's Keyblade went back to its original form.

Sora took a step back, "What is this?" he pulled Oathkeeper back again, wary in his next attack, "Who _are _you?"

Roxas mimicked his stance, "Roxas. Vexen made me after you, he said."

Sora stared, taking what Roxas said in, "You're a fake me?"

Roxas nodded, "Kurix and I, we're here to-"

Sora put his hand up; his eyes had narrowed and darkened the way the sky would before a storm, "Enough."

Kurix twisted out of the way of another of Riku's attacks, trying to avoid tripping over flowers as Way to the Dawn left streaks of black and white and purple in the air, a smooth overlay of strength. Riku growled, missing again as Kurix shuffled back and hopped out of the flowers they'd been wading in.

"Come on!"

Kurix shook his head, "Only if you _listen to me._"

Riku laughed, "Fine, _after_ I kill you."

Again, Kurix shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak when a cry cut through the air; the voice was familiar and soaking in fear. Glancing to the side, Kurix saw Sora had beaten Roxas back into one of the bushes in the center of the garden, a gash on the inside of Roxas's leg had him leaning farther and farther into the leaves, his balance off and his Keyblade turned black as shaking arms staved off Sora's attacks. Sora swept up with Oathkeeper, knocking Oblivion out of Roxas's grasp, and brought it back up over his shoulder for one final swing.

Kurix side stepped Riku as he lunged and all but tackled Sora, a sharp pain in his arm telling him that Sora's attack hadn't completely missed. They sprawled across the grass, Kurix trapped beneath Sora and the Keyblade that stuck through his left forearm. Sora pushed himself off, ripping his Keyblade out as he did; Kurix screamed, half rolling onto his side and cradling his arm to his chest.

Kurix could only stare as Sora towered over him, both hands around the hilt of his Keyblade, tip angled straight down. All he had to do was shove down and Kurix's world would be over.

A mass of blond and white collided with Sora, somewhere behind them, Riku's voice called out, "_Naminé!"_

It took a moment for Sora to realize what had happened, as he was knocked over for the second time. He blinked rapidly, staring at Naminé. She had landed on him and she hurriedly pushed herself up, brushing dirt off her clothes. She glanced back at Kurix, who was staring at her with unbelieving eyes, and at Roxas, whose expression was much the same.

Riku stalked over to her as Sora stood, "What the _hell _are you _doing?_"

Naminé crossed her arms, "Look at them." Both boys shared a glance before turning back to the mess they'd made. Roxas was sitting on the grass, hands clamped around his bleeding leg, and Kurix was inching over to him, a damaged arm in his lap. Heaps of dirt littered the grass and flowers had been reduced to nothing but stems and leaves. Turning back to Naminé, she continued, "They have something to say. They aren't even _fighting_ and besides, they brought Ansem with them."

"They saved me, actually." The three turned and Ansem was stumbling over, Kairi holding him up.

She smiled apologetically at Sora, "It kind of seems like…"

"We left the Organization." Kurix panted, his eyes had grown hazy and he'd pulled off his coat, showing the blood that covered his skin and shirt. He felt a sudden weight on his shoulder and glanced down; shaking his head as he realized Roxas had passed out.

Naminé gently pushed past Riku, tilting her head, she knelt next to Kurix, "Are you saying you're good now?"

Kurix raised his eyes to hers, "Yeah."

Naminé glanced at Roxas, smiling a little, "Is he okay?"

Kurix nodded, gave a small smirk, "He's a little new."

* * *

"So…You were…a prisoner?" they were words Kairi had never in her life thought she'd say, least of all to her former psychiatrist.

Ansem sighed, lifting his head, "Yes."

Kairi sat down heavily in her chair opposite Ansem. He noticed the change of emotion in her eyes, one of bleak curiosity and horror, "Are you hurt?"

He laughed, shaking his head and grabbing a glass of cool water from the table, it hovered before his lips as he said, "No more hurt than I am now, Kairi." He took a quick sip and continued, "Do you believe Kurix and Roxas?"

Kairi shrugged, casting a sideways glance past the food that had been set out on the table for Ansem, and out the floor to ceiling windows. They were in the dining hall, a place she rarely visited. It was far too fancy for her taste; huge slabs of marble covered the floor, high strung red drapes hung over and across the ceiling level windows, dark wood tables stretching across the expanse of the room. It was beautiful, breathtaking, and made her homesick.

Just an hour before, Kurix and Roxas had shown up and nearly all hell had broken loose. The second after things had finally calmed down (thanks to Naminé), Leon, Cloud and Tifa had rushed in, followed closely by Vincent and Cid. Explaining the entire situation had been tedious, and although no one actually trusted the two newcomers, The King had generously given them two rooms to stay in. After seeing what had been done to his precious Garden, he could only usher them out, saying something about having the brooms clean the mess up.

Sora had been given the task of showing their new comrades to their rooms, along with Leon and Cloud, as no one really trusted them, and Riku had since grabbed Naminé and pulled her someplace private- no doubt to yell at her about flinging herself into battle the way she had.

Now, Kairi had gotten Ansem something to eat- she could hear his stomach growling from the moment before he'd actually stumbled out of the portal. They had taken to catching up, Kairi informing him of absolutely everything he needed to know, explaining the Nobodies and how everyone else had been found, the Heartless named Ansem that she had killed just days before.

In exchange, Ansem told her as much as he could about her parents, the hospital and everything after her and Naminé's disappearance. He told her about the apprentices too, and waking up in the Organization's care.

Kairi sighed and shook her head, rubbing her palms against her face as she said, "I don't know what to believe." She brought her hands down slow and let them fall into her lap, "I mean…They kidnapped Riku to make Kurix, they almost _killed_ him, and then…" she sighed, "Kurix was evil, when he went after Naminé."

Ansem eased back, arms crossed, "He cares very much for Roxas. I believe he's the sole reason for Kurix wanting to escape the Organization in the first place. Their creator…Vexen?" he glanced at Kairi and she nodded, "He was a cruel man."

Kairi looked up at that, brushing hair from her face and resting her elbows on the table edge, "Like…they were abused?"

He looked out at the room, sunlight bleaching marble white and ghost shadows stretching across the floors, "One would think. They killed him before we left, so I could only assume there was a _reason _for that hatred."

Kairi sat back at that, clearly flustered, she blinked and turned her head to the entrance. The large doors were opened wide and currently, Roxas and Kurix were inching their way in. By the way they seemed to be subconsciously huddling towards each other, both looking around with rather wide eyes; it was obvious that they were intimidated by the luxury.

The thought of two people, however fake they may be in essence, being abused in any way was…sad.

With that in mind, Kairi pushed her seat back and stood to greet their new friends.

* * *

Naminé kept her head down, biting her lip. She had taken to staring at her feet, brushed with dirt and spots of green, half hidden under white sweats. Next to her own bare feet were a pair much bigger, wrapped in black boots.

After the battle, Riku had dragged her back to their room, his hand tight around her wrist. He had seated her at the edge of the bed, and while his voice had started in a yell it had gradually gotten softer, the more he glanced at her between words and saw her shoulders first sag, then her head droop and lips tremble. Now, he had sat next to her and took hold of one of her hands, running his fingertips over soft skin.

His voice was gentle the next time he spoke, "Naminé…What were you thinking? Sora could've mistaken you for Roxas, you could have gotten hurt."

Naminé's voice trembled as she spoke, "You were going to kill them."

"Do I really need to remind you of what Kurix did to me? He almost hurt you and I'm still healing." He brushed a stray hair from her cheek and tilted her head up, cradling her chin in his hand, "How do you expect me to keep you safe if this is what you're going to do?"

Naminé pulled out of his grasp and stood, crossing her arms and keeping her back to him, "You're right."

Sighing, he stood and came up behind her, his hands on her shoulders, "Relax. I'm sorry I yelled at you, Naminé. I know you were just trying to help them, and maybe Sora and I jumped at the chance of a fight with them…But," he lowered his face to her ear, arms wrapping around her from behind, exactly as he had held her when she painted in her room on her home world, "You have no idea how close you came to getting hurt." He kissed just above her ear and she sighed, leaning against him.

"I know. But you guys weren't listening." She turned in his arms then, raising her eyes to his, "Are you mad?"

Riku smiled, held her tighter, "Depends." Naminé tilted her head, "Are you going to do that again?" She shook her head, "Are you mad that I yelled at you?" Naminé shook her head again, "Then no."

Smiling now, she leaned up in his arms and kissed his cheek. "Can I go paint now?" she rubbed her palms against his chest, earning a small smile,

"Yeah, but one more thing."

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and impossibly blue, "Yes?"

"I don't want you to be alone with Kurix. Promise me you'll-"

Naminé put a hand up to silence him, pressing her fingers against his lips, "I know. Don't worry about it, okay?" she gave him a reassuring smile, kissed his cheek again, and ran to get her paint set.

* * *

"Who are you?" Leon took a slow step back, casting a look to Cloud. Cloud shook his head and followed his steps, backwards and over strips of wood and tile.

They had been on their way to find Tifa; she was supposed to be in the library. Since the Garden had been effectively renovated, thanks to the two boneheads with the Keyblades (Leon's words); they had to go around the Garden rather than through it. Basically? It would take longer to get to the library than usual, and so they had been forced to mosey down a branch of halls they wouldn't normally use.

After turning a sharp corner ('_I'm _sure_ this is the right way this time.' 'Right, Cloud.')_ the two had stopped short, almost piling into a tall figure. His hair was wiry, coppery. Chiseled features and hard set eyes, his mouth a thin set line and in his right hand a tomahawk-shaped monster that looked like it could cut a small building in half.

Lexeaus tilted his head as if he didn't understand and took a step forward for every back-step Cloud and Leon took. His eyes narrowed, "Who are _you_?"

Cloud shook his head, "Aeleus?"

Lexeaus's head swiveled to Cloud, "_Excuse_ me?"

Leon grabbed Cloud's arm, "We should-"

"What's going on?" Sora rounded the corner, side stepping his two friends. His eyes found Lexeaus, tomahawk rising above his shoulder and a smirk forming on that emotionless face. "What are _you_ doing here?" Sora shuffled back, summoning Oathkeeper while ushering his friends away from the oncoming battle.

"Kurix and Roxas- where are they?"

Sora glanced at Cloud and Leon, "Get Riku." He turned back to Lexeaus, "Like I'd tell you."

As Cloud and Leon sprinted back down the hallway, Lexeaus said, "They've terminated a valuable member of-"

"Save it." Sora shook his head, "You aren't taking them back- they left for a reason."

"Do you even know what that reason is?"

Sora faltered, glanced back down the hall. He was sure he could hear footsteps, but whether they were his retreating friends or not, he just didn't know. He pulled Oathkeeper back, "Does it matter?"

Shaking his head, Lexeaus raised his weapon higher, a vibrant red aura surrounding it like fire, "Thoughtless." Half twisting as he slammed the tomahawk down into the earth, Sora rolled to the left and around Lexeaus. He brought Oathkeeper around himself with as much force as he could muster, a cut that was near to shallow grazing through the leather of his coat. Lexeaus turned as if enraged and Sora danced back.

Lexeaus was stronger than he thought, but if he could hold out just long enough for a little back up, the battle shouldn't be impossible.

The Silent Hero raised the tomahawk high above his head, arms quaking as that red surrounding the weapon filtered down to the rough hide of his coat, permeating through his skin. Lexeaus screamed and the cracks that formed in the wood and tile were like spider webs, erratic and thin- until the red power seeped from Lexeaus to the ground and burst. Shards of splintered wood and shattered tile rained, cracks formed up the walls and before Sora had time to run the blast hit him. He flew back, feet off the ground a good two feet before he landed, bones shaking in his skin and head smacking against the floor. He slid; Oathkeeper fell from his grasp and skittered over pebbles with a tinkering sound, like glass and metal.

He moaned, his legs trembling and his breath shaky. There was a steady trickle of blood from his nose, his legs were bruised and cut and sprinkled with debris. Coughing, Sora pushed himself up onto his elbows, leaning back on them. Lexeaus seemed to only take a few brisk steps before he was hovering over Sora, his weapon raised high again and that red glow pulsating around it.

Everything seemed to slow.

Somewhere down the hall was a rabid yell, Sora wasn't sure if it was himself or someone else. There was a scraping sound, footsteps light and quick.

"_Lexeaus!"_

Number Five faltered, turned- only to have Oathkeeper (or Oblivion, Sora wasn't sure, the two Keyblades were a blur in the air) slam him in the jaw. The second slashed the opposite way across his face, a gash along his cheek. Roxas kicked hard and high, heel earning a noticeable crunch as it jammed against Lexeaus's face, a second across his chest as Roxas turned and kicked again. Bringing both Keyblades around the same way, their edges dragged harsh against Lexeaus's chest and splashed blood across his face.

The Silent Hero stumbled back, dropping his weapon. His eyes had grown wide with shock, clearly surprised he had been hit at all, let alone hurt. His back hit the wall and without hesitation, Lexeaus summoned a portal and dragged himself away.

There were more footsteps down the hall, but Sora paid them no attention.

Both boys breathing heavy, Sora stared at Roxas and Roxas stared back, Oathkeeper and Oblivion held tight in his hands.

……………………………………_._

_So….yeah XD _

_Extremely happy with this chapter~ _

_I've been working on it since the last update, so you better like it! And I've proof read, but if you find mistakes then let me know :)_

_Next chapter will be on…..Hmmm…Saturday? Okay, weekend, sometime this weekend XD _


	22. Tonight I Will Fight

_Iz proud of this chapter. (nods) Yup~_

_Prepare yourselves, next few chapters are gonna be brutal D: _

_Though, that's all the more fun for the horror writer in me~_

_Expect gore, but I'll try to tone it down a bit so no one gets freaked xD_

_And sorry that I'm like a week late here, I actually didn't START it till Saturday, so there was no hope . However, I made it longer than usual, and this one's all about the apprentices~_

_On that note….Enjoy! ~_

_/_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

Something clearly was not right.

It had been two days since Ansem disappeared. The nurses and other staff that had been around during the incident with Xehanort's death were…different. Their eyes were coated in this black substance Demyx couldn't quite place, their skin pale and lips always parted, just enough for air, but they never spoke. They looked to each other when communication was needed, like a sort of telepathy, the other would understand and they'd carry on in their ways. The remaining doctors, Even, Braig, Dilan and Aeleus would talk to them and the affected staff would grunt in response. A few patients were starting to act in similar ways, though they shook and quaked and clung with sweaty palms at the nurses, the orderlies that were still themselves and could help.

Demyx had grabbed Yuffie the first chance he'd gotten that morning; pulling her out of her room before one of the other doctors had the chance to claim her the way everyone else seemed to be.

"W-What are you going to do?" Yuffie was pressed against the wall, her chest rising and falling in uneven breath.

Demyx shook his head, "Not just me, Yuffie. We're all going to work together to-"

"_Emergency lockdown initiated." _

Demyx froze at the sound of the electronic voice, his eyes growing wide as they both looked up, staring at the intercom system unit mounted to the ceiling. Lockdown procedures were normal for hospitals, but there wasn't one scheduled that day, and the rest of the staff around them looked about as perturbed as he did.

In a lockdown, all the lights were turned off; all the doors locked, no one allowed in or out.

The lights shut off a mere two seconds after the first warning, the dull thud of the electronic locks sliding into place was next- all the main exits sealed off. Yuffie had screeched when the lights shut, and with good reason too.

They were standing in the hallway to Yuffie's room, the floors plastic faux tile and walls whitewashed. It was dusk, the sky a vibrant orange and red, and with the lights out the halls were the same color, the shadows had grown longer in between panels of windows. Demyx had felt Yuffie's clammy hands wrap in a vice grip around his, and he'd pulled her close- a failing attempt to calm her as he glanced down the hallway and saw two nurses he recognized- a tall, thin brown haired woman and another girl with long red hair. He had noted them as having that black eyed look, but now, as they stepped forward in slow, graceful movements their colored eyes danced between lantern yellow and ink black. Dark in the light, and terrifying in the Dark.

Demyx held Yuffie's hand tighter and turned, yanking her in the direction of the lobby. As they turned, Yuffie craned her neck around, watching those eyes. They rounded the corner and she slammed into Demyx's back.

"No…" the first to scream was a doctor Demyx didn't know the name of, a woman standing too near to Dilan. He reached his hand out a long black double ended spear appeared, purple ribbons in the air behind it as he turned and shoved it through her neck.

His voice was a hiss as hers died down to a gargle, "_Shut up." _Beside him, Aeleus's stony features shifted to a smirk, his eyes sparkled in the orange light. Braig stood beside him, two guns similar to Xigbar's in his hands. Both glanced at each other, nodded, and moved their attention to the steadily growing crowd of men and women. Even seemed to be hiding behind them, his hands covered in a thick case of opaque blue ice.

Straining his eyes to see down the dim light hall, more Dark infested drones could be seen. Some lurched while others seemed to dance, swaying down tiles with pointed toes that barely touched the floor.

When Dilan pulled the spear out of the woman's neck, the remaining doctors and patients broke into mass hysteria. Demyx turned and pulled Yuffie to him, clutching her to his chest while three other nurses sped down the hall in the direction, slamming into the two puppets at the end of the hall. Demyx craned his neck to see around the corner, catching sight of one nurse sliding into the red haired one, the other two being caught by the brunette, birdlike hands clamped around necks. She threw her head back and opened her mouth, showing off blackened sharp canines- a screech that was not human in any way ripped from her, her eyes burned yellow and she squeezed her fingers hard, bands of darkness worked down her arms and through her fingertips and over the hell in the lobby, Demyx heard the two nurses' necks crack and break. Their struggling stopped and he glanced at the other, less fortunate victim trapped by the redhead.

She raised her head and screamed as the other had done, blood smeared over her pretty lips, a cavern where the man's heart had been. She turned her eyes slowly up to Demyx and he shivered, pried away from Yuffie and ran head long into the lobby.

The lobby could only be described as a war zone. Aeleus stood silent in the center, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Blood was splashed across his face, his eyes were dark and brow knit in concentration. His lips moved quickly but no sound escaped; silent commands to the puppets in the area. Braig was busy shooting up as many of the patients as he could, laughing while he did so. Even had grabbed hold of an older doctor- wrinkled features and short brown hair, circular glasses. He was crushed between the wall of the lobby and a steadily growing spot of ice that had extended from both of his wrists.

Demyx jumped back as an infested puppet screamed by him, arms extended and fingers snapping like claws. It slammed into Yuffie and she screamed; her arms up over her face to defend herself as the two of them fell back. "_Yuffie!"_ Something swept Demy'x feet out from under him and he fell like a sack of bricks, the wind momentarily knocked from his lungs. He shut his eyes tight and opened them, gasping.

Dilan laughed, leaning over him. A spear was (_somehow_) hovering in the air over Demyx's face. Its tip burned dark red with the fading sunlight. "When the sun sets…" Dilan shook his head, "It's over."

Demyx locked eyes with him, he felt a fierce determination and a lingering sense of helplessness burn through him as he heard the words, heard Yuffie screaming somewhere in the mass of darkness and fear. There was a gust of air as the spear came down; Demyx saw a jet set of purple and silver behind it.

* * *

"So our Heartless are attacking?" Zexion put his hand to his chin, tapping his fingers thoughtfully, "How interesting…" he glanced at Lexeaus.

Lexeaus was leaning back against the wall, arms crossed and eyes closed. His breathing seemed shallow, "Yes. According to Xemnas."

Zexion let his hand fall back to his side and walked over to Lexeaus, "Any idea why?"

Number V sighed, "Perhaps it has something to do with Xehanort's defeat?" He glanced at Zexion, "Was there something you needed, Zexion?"

"Roxas and Kurix are still alive. Vexen is dead. Xemnas has been hiding away in his room for weeks now and Saїx is as temperamental as ever."

Lexeaus nodded, "The Organization _is _in much disarray."

Zexion continued, "And that man we found, with the strange powers, from Kairi's world? He comes and goes as he pleases, Xemnas seems fond of him. If he's as trustworthy as Superior claims he is, perhaps he could make a useful ally in-"

"I don't trust that man." Lexeaus shook his head, silencing Zexion, "He's a murderer. Send him after Naminé if you will, someone easily taken out."

Zexion smirked, "You've seen my thoughts."

Rolling his eyes, Lexeaus said, "You've never been one to get your hands dirty, Zexion."

"Well…He _did_ seem to take a liking to her, didn't he?" he said the words slow, "Maybe he'll even go after her himself."

Lexeaus shook his head, a smile forming despite his best attempts at stifling it, "God help her."

* * *

The sky had faded to purple, a mesh of shadows and violets covering the floor (red roses, too, but they were messy).

Bodies littered the floor. There was blood smeared on white walls, pooled on the tile. A puppet sat in the corner, a small alcove of shadow, and waited with flashing yellow eyes.

The room had all but silenced, save for the lonesome crying of few survivors- the battle had ceased.

Demyx had his back pressed to the wall, his eyes were squeezed shut and he had a hand clamped over his mouth, stifling the gasps of breath that managed to escape. His chest heaved; he tilted his head down, opened his eyes and saw a bloody smear on his chest. He was quick to shut his eyes again.

He could barely remember grabbing the spear out of the air, or rolling to his feet and stabbing Dilan in his leg with it so hard the man had crumbled, screaming. He'd kicked Dilan once for good measure and had sprinted back down one of the hallways; thankful it had been cleared of nurses and Used patients.

Demyx didn't think about why the slayings had stopped so abruptly (could be that Even had disappeared, saying something just loud enough to be heard over the screams, something about unlocking the doors to their floor to move to the next). Demyx couldn't think about the fact that colleagues he'd been working with for years were cut open like pigs and all over the floor. Demyx could not think about the fact that Yuffie had gone down and he hadn't seen her when he ran for the halls, but he _did_ catch a glimpse of her torn headband thrown over one of the couches.

He heard the dull but unmistakable systematic churn of the locks and saw the little red light above the door nearest to him flash green.

Anger surged through him at the thought of more deaths, more lives lost.

He glanced down at the body lying a few feet from him. It was a man, late thirties. He could've been a father, a brother, a husband, uncle, grandfather- anything and someone's world. Lifeless blue eyes were turned to the windows, one arm stretched out towards them.

Demyx stared out the window and watched the sun begin its last few moments of descent.

He was running out of time, and he might not survive the rest of whatever was to come (he'd seen one man take out several people in one swipe just moments before, his chances of winning any sort of fight was somewhere in the negatives) but he'd be damned if he went down without a fight.

Carrying his eyes past the man on the floor, Demyx saw a broomstick. Trembling and biting his lip, his chest still, he inched over to the corner of the wall. First, he tilted his head in every direction while staring out the windows, trying to see if there was any sort of reflection that could help him out. When that failed, he waited and listened, and he couldn't believe what he heard.

There was the heavy mechanical sound of the eastern door to the lower level closing, and after that muffled footsteps as they traveled down the two flights of stairs. Still trembling, Demyx cast a glance out around the corner, and found the room empty, save for the bodies. Otherwise, Even, Aeleus, Dilan and Braig had grabbed their puppets and moved on.

Demyx tiptoed over to the broom anyway, watching the lobby as he stepped around the man and picked it up. He held it like a bat, tight in his hands and with broom side down.

He took a step forward and froze when he heard the screams from the lower floor.

* * *

"Sora…"

"Why would you need to go back anyway? I mean everyone's here, right?" Sora tilted his head, scratching his temple with one hand while the other arm was across his chest.

Kairi sighed, "Yeah but…Demyx is all alone now. What if something happens? I just want to make sure."

Sora shook his head, his spikes swayed very lightly back and forth and Kairi found the motion cute, despite the seriousness of their conversation. "I don't think it's worth the energy, but… If you want to, I'm going to."

Kairi tilted her head to the side this time, "Why's that?"

Sora put his hands on her shoulders, leveled himself with her, "Ienzo attacked Naminé when she was alone, didn't he? He could've really hurt her, and I don't want to take the chance if it's just you going, because there are still four other Heartless just like him out there."

Kairi smiled and brought her arms around his waist, closing the distance between them as she planted a kiss on his cheek. She grinned at his sheepish smile, "Okay. When will we go?"

Sora had taken to playing with the ends of her hair, "In a little while. I have to tell Riku and The King first. We'll aim for an hour."

Kairi nodded, "Okay…But wait a minute first." Sora raised an eyebrow at her, but smiled when she leaned forward and rested her head on his chest, her arms constricting around him.

"Yeah." As Sora held her a little tighter too, he wondered what had become of her home world.

* * *

He'd kicked off his shoes merely for the purpose of trying to be quiet while he snuck down the less frantic halls. It was his way of being careful, he thought, because at least he could run and not have to worry about slipping so much (the tile was sticking to the soles of his feet) and aside from that…

He had to give himself something to anchor to. Running down the hall holding a broomstick in both hands, ready to swing, shoes off…He kind of felt like it was right out of _Terminator 2_, when Sara was breaking out of the mental institute (or trying to, anyway). Of course, she was in much better shape, slightly insane and willing to do anything to get out (Demyx wasn't so sure about the last one, but positive about the other two) and it was kind of a stretch, really, but…Anything to help, right?

He had to keep telling himself it was okay. For one day, especially if it was his last, he'd go back to having that imagination only kids had, and pretend that he was someone else. Someone that could stop the horrors he was seeing.

He rounded a corner and found the lobby to the floor beneath the one he'd been on moments before. It was easy- all he had to do was follow the trail of blood and he was right there.

The chaos had started only a moment before, and he had frozen for all of two seconds before sprinting down the hall, the flights of stairs and busted through the door.

This floor was different. With all the screaming that could've been heard from the first floor, it was obvious they'd been preparing themselves. Doctors fought off infected patients, patients fought off infected doctors. A few people had rounded together to take down at least one of the four standing tall in the center; pillars for the discord that was constantly unfurling.

Demyx smiled when he realized that there were more infected puppets falling than normal people. He raised the broom high and ran in, screaming.

The first person he hit was a patient that, if he remembered right, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Demyx swung hard, catching the man in the temple and feeling a tremor run through the white painted handle of the broom as it cracked but didn't break. The infected patient was down, but another grabbed Demyx by his shoulders (he felt wind in his hair and a memory rush through him like a warm summer breeze, talons and all) and yanked him back. The breath knocked from him and he almost let go of the broomstick, but reflex made his fingers clench and he swung blind, hearing something crunch under the force of the blow and hitting a second target in the jaw.

Blood encrusted fingernails dug at his skin and Demyx screamed, kicking another square in the chest, he jumped up and swept the broom low, getting the feet out from under one and knocking it into another.

He was up against more than he thought- three altogether were scrambling from the floor, their fingertips grazing the surface as if floating. Their skin had darkened, smoke like ink rose from pores and cells; it was like the last pieces of sunlight were burning them. Altogether, they opened their mouths and screeched- Demyx stumbled back and clamped his hands over his ears, dropping the broomstick in the process.

A strong arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against a broad chest. He struggled but it was like trying to wriggle out of concrete- Aeleus laughed and turned, flinging Demyx out to the center of the room. He rolled, coming to a stop on his back.

Demyx opened crystal blue eyes and saw Aeleus stalking forward while simultaneously snapping the broom in half, tossing the pieces to the side. Scrambling to his feet, Demyx turned to run and slipped, his foot coming into contact with something wet and slimy (he really didn't want to know what it was), his fingers touched the floor for a moment as he caught his balance and pushed forward. He ducked a flying clipboard and dropped to his knees, sliding past Even and rolling behind an overturned couch.

Slamming his back against the familiar object, Demyx turned his face to the ceiling and put his hand, palm down, against his chest. He glanced over the couch as he tried to catch his breath and felt a sudden cold seeping into his feet. Turning back, he found ice had formed on the floor around his feet and it had just started its ascent up his ankles- he jumped to his feet and danced away from the couch, raising his eyes to meet piercing green.

Even rolled his hand and bowed, a perfect gentleman, "Pleasure to see you, Demyx."

Demyx took a step back, "What are you doing?"

Even grinned, straightened himself and took a few steps forward. With each step, his left hand become more and more covered in ice, to the point that when he was only a foot from Demyx it had formed a spike, jagged and crystal clear.

Demyx took a timid step back, his eyes only able to see the weapon that had both formed right before his eyes and was most likely going to kill him.

Even lunged, arm raised, and was consequently swept back as a mass of auburn stepped in, shoving his way through. Even flew back, the spike breaking off at his knuckles and shattering his fingers. He caught himself and stumbled, hunched over and cradling his hand with the other, holding it close to his chest; he looked up from a drapery of blond hair and stared at Marluxia. Marluxia wasn't looking up though; the spike had broken off at an angle and stuck just beneath his ribs. He crumbled, falling at the same moment that Even felt the unbearable pain in his abdomen- a pen stuck in so deep the tip of the cap was the only thing seen.

Demyx watched Even go down and took a few steps back, unsure of what to do, what had happened. Marluxia was a psychopath, and it only really took Demyx a moment to remember that from the day they'd been introduced, Marluxia had hated Even with a passion, so much so that two of the stronger orderlies had to be in the room with him at all times if Even was near.

"What have you _done?_" Demyx turned as Aeleus crashed through bodies, knocking people out of the way effortlessly. He stopped beside Even, who had fallen on his back and was reaching a shaking hand up to his comrade. Aeleus glared at Demyx, "Come here."

Demyx's eyes widened, Aeleus started forward and Demyx started walking backwards through the crowd, "W-Wait I didn't-"

"I said _'Come here'!"_ Aeleus cracked his knuckles, taking longer strides now. Sweat had formed on his skin, shimmering in the newly risen moonlight. His eyes flashed yellow and Demyx turned to run, stumbling as he did, arms pin-wheeling. That strong arm trapped him to Aeleus's chest again and the Heartless leaned down, as chaos ravaged the area around them and whispered, "You're mine."

There was a flash of white and a savage scream, and then nothing.

/

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN~

I'll aim for Monday with the next chapter, but idk if it'll actually be up because I'm busy this weekend XD If not Monday, then Wednesday :D

Review yes? :B


	23. Goodbye

__

Sorry for the long wait . I've been busy, schools ending and I have Regents and finals and jflak;sjdkfdj I haven't had time .

You guys are gonna kill me for the next few chapters...

Enjoy, if you can~

* * *

___****_

Darkness or Dawn

There was a moment when Demyx really thought he was going to die.

Outside, the sun gave one last brilliant flash of yellow, a gold that seeped in through the windows in a saving light. The infected patients and doctors screamed, Aeleus flung Demyx away from himself with a shriek, his deep voice loud well over the others. He stumbled back and Demyx landed on his knees, his palms smacking the floor as he caught himself. He turned and his eyes widened at the sight of Aeleus- the entire left side of his face was smoldering, cracked black and between crevices bright orange and yellow, hot as hell itself, shone. Smoke crept up in taunting curls and it was then that Demyx realized that the only way to beat them was to show them the light.

Demyx got to his feet and took a step back, a burning patient screeched past him, between him and Aeleus. Pale fingers had dug their way into curls of black hair, eyes squeezed shut. It was a girl and a few steps after clearing Aeleus she fell to her knees. Upon hitting the floor her screaming stopped, her eyes opened. Yellow faded to black and her skin cracked and her veins turned blue and bled out darkness through her body, her head craned back and her skin fell away like flakes, more and more cracks forming and black dust in the sky.

Aeleus growled, his jaw set and clearly in pain. His nostrils flared as he clenched his fists and took a step forward and-

There was this faint whirring first, a hum in the air before a cry of victory as something flew through the air and struck Aeleus square in his jaw. His head snapped back and his hands flew to his face, a grunt of pain that was lost over the carnage. Blood speckled the ground around him and dribbled down his chin.

"Gotcha!" Yuffie skittered past Demyx, lunged for the metal fan she had dismantled and grabbed it, hefted it back over her shoulder and turned back to Demyx, grabbing his hand as she ran by again.

"Yuffie!"

She glanced back and winked, "At your service!" They danced past patients and doctors and threw themselves down a hallway, slamming their backs to the cool walls their chests heaved with heavy breaths.

"Wh-Where did….?" Demyx tried again, his hands on his knees, "H-How did you get out?"

Yuffie grinned, straightened herself, "I might've been in here for a few months, but I'm still a ninja."

Demyx found himself laughing, shaking his head, "Whatever you say." He glanced up out the window, saw the last of the sunlight truly fading, "Yuffie…"

She shook her head, following his eyes, "I know. But…We've gotta keep trying, right?"

Demyx nodded, stood up, "I've got an idea, okay?" Yuffie raised an eyebrow and twirled the fan blades around her hand, "The light hurts them, right? So if we turn on the lights in here, they'll be weaker…I think." He scratched the back of his head, "We have to find one of the orderlies with keys to the lower floors, so we can get out of here."

The thought had crossed his mind that, after finding the keys, he could simply open the doors and run away as far as possible- but there was an issue.

A man somewhere in the lobby let out a terrified scream.

There were still innocent, helpless people stuck there, and Demyx wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try to help them.

Yuffie nodded, "I get it."

Demyx opened his mouth to say something when two people stumbled down the hall, their skin still burning and smelling heavily of matches. It took a moment for recognition to take place, with those eyes and the burnt skin patches all over their faces- they were orderlies he had worked with, on this floor, years ago…

Two blonds, one male, another female ('Start with 'L's I think…) Demyx felt himself pressing his back more and more against the wall, he couldn't remember their names but he remembered the faces- they'd never been the nicest to work with.

Larxene's fingers twitched at her sides, black veins stretched like web work along her jaw. She blinked two unseeing eyes and Demyx wondered what it was like to be trapped inside oneself like that.

Luxord lunged and Yuffie shrieked, throwing the fan blades low and sweeping across his chest, Luxord reeled back and smacked into Larxene; her legs gave out and they tumbled to the floor a mass of legs and arms, Larxene letting out a cold scream as she scrambled to her feet. Demyx grabbed Yuffie's arm and she followed him back down the way they'd come, their feet smacking the floor, Yuffie glanced back and caught sight of Luxord getting to his feet, Larxene's nails digging into the wall as she tailed them. Without much thought, Yuffie yanked her arm from Demyx's grip and spun around, her makeshift weapon tight in her hand, the veins and bones sharp beneath skin pulled tight, her knuckles white.

Demyx turned too, only to find a wall of patients blocking Yuffie from view. He heard her scream, heard Larxene's shrill cry, and then nothing. Before him, patients fought each other, some too old and weak to really put up much of a struggle, others following Yuffie's example and grabbing whatever they could find to defend themselves. Somewhere in the chaos, Aeleus was sure to be looking for him.

With that thought Demyx turned and crashed directly into Dilan. As Dilan caught himself he grunted, favoring his left leg since the right was still hurt from Demyx's adrenaline rush earlier, he frowned, "You should be dead by now, Demyx." He brought a spear around himself, tip smeared with blood and aimed at Demyx.

Demyx shook his head, regaining his footing, and, thinking of Yuffie's valiant efforts, charged. His shoulder jammed under Dilan's ribcage, arms constricting and feet pushing off the floor. They landed on Dilan's back, and before Dilan could react or even understand what Demyx had done, Demyx tore the spear from Dilan's hands and brought his arms up. Dilan's eyes had grown wide, his mouth parted in disbelief.

Demyx shut his eyes tight when the spear sunk into Dilan's neck, his breathing ragged and a gargle from somewhere in the back of his throat. Without looking at what he'd done, Demyx stood and pulled the spear with him, feeling his stomach turn. He glanced out the windows across the room and found the moon to be shining bright in the canvas of dark blue sky.

* * *

Braig had been all for fighting when it started; they'd taken control of more that enough patients and doctors that the amount of hearts sacrificed to the Darkness had made him almost giddy- but that was before he had realized one crucial mistake.

The Orderly, Demyx, was a problem. He should've seen it, with the way the Darkness seemed to have a general distaste for him and all the patients flocked to him when their fears were too much. He should've taken care of Demyx himself, but he didn't- why? Because he'd been careless. They all had, and now they were paying for it.

He watched from across the room as Dilan went down, after Demyx had stood Dilan's fingers found their way to the hole in his neck, clutching it, applying pressure but to no avail. Dilan's legs twitched and Demyx hadn't looked back.

Braig pushed past a doctor and started on his way to Demyx, prepared for whatever was going to happen.

* * *

"They're losing?" Zexion put his fingers to the bridge of his nose, shaking his head, "How could one person-"

"It isn't one." Lexeaus kept his arms crossed, eyes shut, "The people on Kairi's world are weak but resistant. They were careless."

Zexion raised an eyebrow, "Do you think Aeleus could handle it, if Braig is defeated?"

"There's no doubt he'll be defeated. The lot of them made a mistake they have to pay for, Zexion."

Zexion nodded, "Are we mentioning this to Xemnas?"

Lexeaus glanced at him, shook his head, "He doesn't need to know."

* * *

Demyx shuffled back a few steps, his feet slipping in whatever liquid had covered the floor (he knew but didn't want to know). He pulled his arm back and threw the spear, Braig sidestepped it and slammed his fist against Demyx's stomach, his cheek and hooked his foot around Demyx's ankle. Demyx was down in a second, his head smacking against the tile and stars in his vision. The mouth to Braig's gun was jammed under his chin and-

Yuffie's fan blades shot out faster than any gun, shearing skin from muscle- a large flap of Braig's neck hanging over itself; blood thick and dark just seemed to pour out, his face paling in seconds. Braig turned and as he did, blood sprayed from the new opening and Yuffie screeched, feeling it soak her skin and speckle her face, she slashed again and kicked him hard in the knee.

Braig crumbled, his body failing him, and Yuffie let out a loud sigh, her shoulders hunching forward. She wiped blood off her forehead with the back of her hand and Demyx watched it smear against her skin. She held out her free hand, smiling, and Demyx reached to grab it.

Aeleus's large form appeared behind her, terror Demyx had never felt before pierced him so deep he felt his breath catch and his mind work into overdrive. Grabbing Yuffie's hand, he yanked her forward and pushed himself off the ground, throwing himself in her place.

* * *

"Ready, Kairi?" Sora helped her into the little white pod, she nodded.

"Yeah but…I'm worried."

Sora shook his head, kissed her cheek, "Everything will be fine, I promise."

Nodding, Kairi lay down and closed her eyes.

* * *

Aeleus's hands closed around his throat the moment he was standing. Demyx let out a choked cry and felt himself being lifted off the ground, his feet kicking the air, toes splayed. His fingers dug into Aeleus's skin, raking long red trails down his forearm. Aeleus's eyes were yellow, bright with fury. "You will not win!"

Yuffie screamed, slamming herself into his side and tossing her arm up, losing the blades as it buried deep into his back. Aeleus flinched, dropped Demyx and turned. Yuffie stepped back, her eyes wide as Aeleus's hand came down sharply, backhanding her across the face so hard she fell to the ground. Demyx was up again in a moment, his hand covering his neck and his chest rising and falling with each deep breath.

Aeleus turned back to him and Demyx's eyes met his. Demyx wondered if it was really worth fighting for something already lost.

* * *

The first thing Kairi heard was the screaming, followed closely but the crashes and the sound of the survivors banging on the windows. She felt Sora's hand on her shoulder and she brought her own up to her face, her mouth dropping open.

Sora's voice brought her back, "Kairi!" He pointed and she followed his motion to where Aeleus stood, Yuffie on the floor behind him. The fan blades in his back glinted dully and Kairi saw what he was going to do before he did it; the way Demyx was standing was perfect. Kairi sprinted, Sora close behind her, Keyblade already out and drawn back for battle.

"Demyx!" Kairi's hand reached for him as she ran, her fingers splayed out in a helpless gesture.

Aeleus heard Sora and Kairi; he could sense them the moment they arrived. His issue, however, was the pest in front of him.

He grabbed Demyx's shoulder, spun him around and placed one hand on his forehead, the other at an angle on his chin. Demyx didn't seem to react, too worn to fight anymore, he closed his eyes and waited.

Kairi screamed, watching Demyx's head snap to the side so quickly that it didn't register in her mind, even as he dropped to his knees and finally his stomach, that he was gone. Sora flew past her and jumped, slammed his Keyblade into the side of Aeleus's head.

Kairi skidded to her knees, stopping beside Demyx, she pushed him onto his back and at the sight of his face, his eyes dull but open and his lips parted just slightly, she felt the first tears come. Shaking her head, she pulled him up onto her lap and smoothed the hair from his face, "D-Demyx?" she rubbed her palm against his cheek, his skin still warm to the touch.

She thought of all the times he'd busted the door to her room open, a smile on his face and the fluorescents behind him dull compared to the sparkle in his eyes. She thought of all the times he'd made her laugh and all the patients he had helped, how he'd been one of the first to believe her about the Heartless and Sora and Riku.

Kairi brought her hand down slow, shutting his eyes.

Sora had never fought so hard in his life, he was sure- and it wasn't because Aeleus was putting up a fight, he hardly was, being slowed by Yuffie's hit. The look he'd seen on Kairi's face when Aeleus snapped Demyx's neck was nothing short of broken, her face crumbling. If anything, Sora was fighting for her, and as he thought of her he shoved forward and felt the Keyblade sink deep into Aeleus's stomach.

Around her, the chaos raged on. Kairi kept Demyx cradled to her chest and cried, feeling anger she'd never felt before rise in her chest, through her lungs and up her throat, out her mouth- it was how it had been when she'd fought Ansem, she wasn't sure of how she was doing it, it was just a surge of emotion that jumpstarted the light dwelling in her. Still holding onto Demyx, Kairi threw her head back and screamed, the light emanating from her and growing with her anger. There was wind, too, gusts of it swirling around her and catching her hair- strands so red they appeared as flames dancing around her.

Sora spun around, dismissing his Keyblade, he watched the light spark from her, the way it lashed out and burned the people around her, the ones controlled by the Dark. They screamed, covered their faces and the Light burned the Dark from them, the wind brushing it away like soot and dust.

Yuffie covered her eyes, peering through gaps in her fingers and catching sight of Kairi, an aura of white around her, her body solid and glowing. She saw Demyx in her arms and understanding came swiftly, knocking the breath from her lungs before, as quickly as Kairi's Light had turned itself on, Kairi stopped.

She sunk forward over Demyx, hair in her face and thick lashes touching her tear specked cheeks.

Knowing he had to get her out of there before something else happened, Sora grabbed her shoulders, pried her from Demyx and-

-Kicked the door to the pod open, Sora climbed out and scrambled to Kairi's, throwing open the door and cradling her neck in his arms, she opened her eyes, looked up at him. Pulling her up, he said softly, "Come on, Kairi." She threw her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck.

Thinking of her world, Kairi tangled her fingers in the hood of his jacket and cried.

* * *

_So...Yeah..._

_Imma go hide now DX I'll try and update soon..._


	24. We'll be the Darkness

_...I don't think I have to say anything here. This is my favorite chapter of this story by far._

_Enjoy~ ___

* * *

Darkness or Dawn

_We'll be the Darkness_

The day after Demyx's death, Kairi was curled in the bed she shared with Sora, her knees tucked to her chest and a box of tissues on hand. The waste basket beside her was full of crumpled tissues, a glass of water on the table surrounded by them. Kairi traced her fingertips down the side of the glass, water droplets making their way along its surface, collecting against her fingers.

Sora rubbed small circles on her back, kissing her cheek every now and then to bring her back to reality. He had sat by her side since taking her back from her world, there with her but still alone with his thoughts. She had barely spoken, aside from cracked words between sobs and uneven breathing- she had cried through the night and finally started to doze off a little while before, her eyes half lidded. She had taken to running her fingers up and down the side of the half empty glass just a little while before, her movements gradually becoming slower and less defined. Sora watched, waiting for the moment when he could slide off the bed and clean up the small mess she'd made, empty the basket and get a new box of tissues, fresh water.

He watched her eyes slip shut again, slower than before, black lashes still heavy with tears, sticking to her cheeks as she forced them back open. They drooped shut again not a moment later, her fingers finally sliding down the length of the glass and landing with a gentle stop on the hard wood table. Her breathing hitched once, and then she was lost.

Kairi settled against Sora's chest and lost herself in dreamscapes her mind would rather forget, while Sora waited until her sleep was deep enough for him to be able to move and not have her wake up.

Walking down one of the many hallways of the castle, Kurix shoved his hands in his pockets, his head high and eyes shut. He took long, steady steps, his feet guiding him but to where he didn't know. He didn't particularly care, either.

He had just gotten back from the library, he had no clue how he'd gotten himself into there either- he never liked reading very much. He hadn't been alive for a long amount of time (He might _look_ 17 or 18 or however old he was supposed to be, but he was actually only about a month old at this point) , and Vexen's attempt at teaching him any sort of approach to literature had been a massive failure. The most Kurix could read was Dr. Seuss books at best, and even _that_ was iffy.

Kurix shook his head- at least he could _kind of_ read. Roxas could barely sound out anything, let alone actually read.

Something smacked against his chest and Kurix braced himself, opening his eyes to find said spiky haired blond sprawled across the floor, scratching the back of his head. One eye was squeezed shut, the other questioning, "Kurix, what the hell?"

Kurix smirked, shaking his head and reaching a hand down to help his friend, "Sorry, I was-"

"-Walking with your eyes closed."

Kurix grinned, "Yeah. Are you all right?" he hauled Roxas up,

"Yeah, fine. Are _you?_" Kurix raised an eyebrow, "Why were you walking with your eyes closed?"

Kurix shrugged, being careful as he stepped around his friend, "Just letting my feet take me where I have to go. You should try it sometime. It's kind of fun to see where you'll end up." He turned back to the empty hallway.

Roxas scoffed, "Like a wall?"

Kurix rolled his eyes, "Bye, Roxas." A hand came out and grabbed his wrist before he could start on his way again. Kurix blinked, "Yeah?"

Roxas pulled his hand away, shook his head, smiled, "You know…never mind."

Kurix raised an eyebrow, "You sure?" Roxas nodded, "All right, see ya." Roxas watched him leave, those long deliberate steps, this time his arms held out at his sides.

Kurix had always been strange, but then again, he _was_ made in a lab and created for the sole reason to kill another human being. Roxas couldn't blame him for being…different.

Roxas turned away, but not before catching one last glimpse of Kurix- Roxas noted that it almost looked like he was being pulled somewhere.

"So you'll be in the garden, then." Riku's hand rubbed small circles between Naminé's shoulder blades as they walked, his other hand hanging on loosely to the set of colored pencils she'd asked him to carry for her. Her own arms were full of paper, erasers, two pencil sharpeners, and a bottle of water (she had threatened to smack him if he took anything off the pile, and knowing from past experiences that she wasn't bluffing, he'd let her be). Sweat clung to her forehead, rebel strands of blond dashed across her skin and stuck to her cheeks.

Naminé smiled, "Yes. And you'll be…where, again?" Finally stepping onto plush green, Naminé relished the scent of fresh laid grass and flowers. The garden had (finally) been restored; everyone allowed to use it as they pleased again. New flowers bloomed, vibrant and full. Bees twitched around grass and vines.

"I'll be in the dining hall. Roxas wanted to speak with me." Riku brushed hair from her face with his thumb, cradling her cheek, "If you need me-"

"I know." Naminé smiled again, "I'll call. You always come anyway. Now go, Roxas is probably waiting for you."

Riku nodded, glanced around the garden. "Yeah. I'll be back in a little while, Naminé." He kissed her cheek, placed the box of colored pencils on the small stack she was carrying, turned, and was gone back the way they had come.

Bringing her attention to the garden, Naminé smiled. She had missed it the last few days, and hearing about Demyx's death had been…stressful. She had stayed with Kairi until Sora had assured her he could handle it, although his eyes held a sadness of equal intensity. Naminé had decided then that she would make something for Kairi, something pretty. Where could she find something pretty to draw?

The garden, of course.

She wandered for a moment, turning her head this way and that, finding the right angles and craning her neck, looking for colors. She noticed how, although the flowers were beautiful, there seemed to be less white ones. Before the fight, there was this one flower, a four petal white…_something_. She'd never been good with flower names, she wasn't a gardener by any means, but she had always thought it was so pretty. Now, there were purples, dark blues sprinkled in place of yellows and whites.

She did have to admit though, as she found a particular flower whose color was such a deep purple that she just _had _to draw it, the garden was lovely, even with the added darkness.

Settling herself down, Naminé wondered briefly how long it would take before Riku came back.

Kurix sighed, his eyes still shut and his legs still moving. He stumbled as tile changed to grass and he stopped for a moment, wrinkling his brow and patting his foot timidly on the earth. He shook his head, unsure of why he was walking himself to the garden when he had never particularly enjoyed this place either. He hated the memories there- a flash of remembering what he almost did to Naminé, of being the Organization's tool- he turned back around, ready to give up with his little game.

From across the garden, he heard the softest humming. The tune was gentle, not one he knew, but sweet. Curiosity got the better of him and Kurix found his feet taking him in that direction again, his eyes shutting out of habit. He'd been walking like this all day, the idea coming to mind early in the morning. So far, he had run into the library, earning a few strange looks from Cloud and Leon on the way, walked into his best friend, and now he had found his way to the garden. He truthfully had no idea why he couldn't just let the game go.

The humming had gotten louder, a content sigh escaping. Kurix opened his eyes, the light taking a bit of getting used to again; the first thing he saw though was Naminé. She had her back to him, hunched over her sketch pad with pencils splayed around her, a black pencil that had clearly seen better days gripped tight between her fingers. Her shoulders seemed tense, her neck craned forward. Her movements were fast and uneven, but her voice remained soothing. Naminé focused on the purple flower in front of her.

Kurix took a few more steps, and thought better of it. Riku didn't like him, hate just seemed to radiate off of him when they were just in the same room. He had made it clear that he didn't want Kurix alone with Naminé for any reason, and if Riku came back now…

He watched as Naminé's figure seemed to relax, a butterfly visiting the flower she'd been working on. She clearly wasn't perturbed by the idea of adding in those beautiful wings; they seemed like silk in the sunlight, black and sleek. The butterfly beat its wings slow, just once, before taking off in Kurix's direction. Naminé huffed; turned to watch it leave with wide blue eyes- she caught sight of Kurix and grinned.

"Back already?" Kurix raised his eyebrow, Naminé turned back to her work, "Sit with me." She patted the spot next to her and Kurix shook his head,

"I… I have to-"

"Riku." Naminé sighed, "Come on, you promised." She patted the spot next to her more forcefully, "_Sit._"

"Naminé, I'm not-" he put his hands up in front of himself, cut off by the glare Naminé sent his way as she turned, her hair whipping around her.

"You said you would…" her voice trailed, confusion etched on her face.

Kurix tilted his head, "Naminé?"

Her breathing seemed to catch, Namine's eyes grew wide and she pointed, her voice high and shrill and full of fear, "_Riku!"_

Kurix turned, expecting to see his look-a-like trampling through the garden, Keyblade held high.

What he found was much different.

Everything seemed to fade, and Kurix finally understood why he had been following his feet all day, rather than his head.

Riku sat back in his chair, his arms crossed. His eyes held no room for play, only seriousness, and they bore straight into Roxas's.

Roxas looked away, "Kurix and I have talked and…We have a plan for defeating the Organization, I think. We've got a way in."

Riku sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Roxas…"

Across the table, Roxas noticed how Riku's entire form seemed to change. His shoulders tensed. His skin pricked with gooseflesh and his nose twitched as if smelling the air. He pulled his hand away from his face; Riku opened his eyes and stared out at the entrance of the dining hall.

"Riku?"

"Naminé needs me." His voice had changed, become heavier with whatever realization he had made. He was up from the table in record time, halfway to the door with Way to the Dawn out. "Roxas, come on."

He didn't need to be told twice.

"How long has it been, Naminé?" Sephiroth took slow, almost graceful steps forward. The sunlight bleached the hair around his face, a false halo he didn't deserve. His eyes traveled up and down her small frame, stopping at her eyes.

Naminé wasn't looking at him, though, as much as he terrified her. She could only stare at one thing.

Kurix had fallen on his back; blood coated his teeth and lips, tears worked from his shut eyes in a steady rhythm and his mouth parted in agony. One hand cradled his stomach; the other had stuck into the grass and clenched dirt and roots into a fist so tight the leather of his glove stretched. The skin Sephiroth had cut away lay open, a grotesque door of red, a flap hanging over itself. The blood was never ending, over flowing, staining the grass black.

Before she realized it, Sephiroth was in front of her, that weapon he'd used had been dismissed in his surety that he had won. His eyes found hers, as an arm snaked around her waist and brought her to him, chest pressing the air from her lungs. His lips were toxic on her skin, burning her, just on her forehead.

His voice was smug, "I win."

When they had first gotten to Disney, Naminé had been shocked by the type of magic the place held. Things that she could've never imagined could happen, natural laws could be broken; power could be at her fingertips if she had wanted to learn. Riku and Sora had done their best explaining to her why her and her sister had been able to see them, why she could only see Riku at first when they were on her home world. Kairi was full of light; it pumped through her blood and left a warm center at her heart. It was how she had defeated Ansem- it was how she had been able to see Sora and Riku in the first place. Kairi's darkness though, it had needed somewhere to go, somewhere it could live.

Naminé.

Another kiss on her temple, a hand trailing up her spine. She watched with hardening eyes as Kurix lay on the grass, and suddenly…The dark colors in the garden seemed comforting.

She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe- Naminé had only one true thing on her mind, one clear and devastating drive that stirred the darkness she had never thought to use before, had never wanted to use- until now.

The dark that manifested in her veins shot through her, her heart protected but her head swimming with murky water. Her skin grew cold and Naminé felt Sephiroth pull back, enough space between them that she brought her hands up and shoved her palms hard against his chest. Her hands, those thin artist hands, glowed violet, blue, black.

Naminé's face twisted to one of pure hatred, her lips drawn in a snarl she wasn't even aware she was capable of making. Her voice was low, weighted by anger, "_Fuck. You." _

The Darkness around her hands grew, stretching up to her elbows as if she'd sunk her arms into it. She bent her fingers, a voice in her head telling her what needed to be done, her wrists snapped up and her palms aimed at the garden around her, "_What have you done?" _

Sephiroth took one step back, breathed the last breath he would.

The grass seemed to glow, the flowers darkened, and the vibrant purples and blues straightened and swayed. Darkness rose to the sky in tendrils of smoke.

Naminé felt the Darkness in her and grabbed hold of its power, promising herself she'd never use it again.

With one simple thought- the flowers, the vines, the grass- they grew, stretched, shot out of the earth and wrangled themselves around limbs. Sephiroth's legs were wrapped in green, grass pulsating with black. Vines trapped his hands and wrists and grew tight around him; dark strengthened and wrapped a thick line around his neck.

Across the garden, Riku and Roxas sprinted out, stopping short at the sight.

Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak and more vines attacked him, climbing down his throat, his chest, wrapping around his spine and snaking through skin, bumps under the surface. The plants around him were pulled taught and rubbed harsh against him

Naminé screamed and tore her hands through the air; bringing them over her head and smacking them back down at her sides, her fingers twitching and her eyes red, bloodshot with tears that had flowed down her cheeks.

The sound that followed was similar to paper ripping.

Riku watched, as he and Roxas started to sprint again, as Sephiroth's arms were ripped from their sockets, his legs torn to shreds, his head choked and trimmed from his neck. Blood sprayed like black acid, the grounds seemed to open up and capture the pieces of him that flew, and burying them so far into the earth they'd never see the light of day again.

And after all of this, the Darkness faded from her. Naminé's hands stopped glowing, the dark receding back into its place until it was needed again. Her breath caught in her throat and her knees buckled, her form visibly shivering with fear, skin nearly blue.

Riku didn't even look at Kurix, as Roxas caught sight of him and skidded to a halt, landing on his knees in the dirt beside him.

Roxas hovered for a moment, his hands in the air over his friend, unsure of what to do. His face twisted as he leaned in, scooping an arm under Kurix's neck, grabbing his hand from his torn open stomach. Kurix's eyes managed to open, unfocused and growing dim.

"R…Roxas?"

Roxas shook his head, "Kurix, I... you're hurt, don't talk."

Kurix managed a smile, coughing once on the blood welling in the back of his throat, "I think…I have to go now…"

Roxas shook his head again, his eyes growing wider with each passing second, watching the life slip from his friend. Kurix's pale skin seemed to crack, breaking like porcelain, black shards rising to the sky. Roxas swallowed, a lump in his throat, "Kurix, you can't die." He leaned in further, holding Kurix close. "You're…the only family I have…"

Kurix coughed, a small spot of blood appearing on Roxas's cheek. "See you…brother…"

Roxas shut his eyes, "_Kurix_…" he felt the sudden but gentle breeze as more shards of dark evaporated into the sky, Kurix's breathing growing slower, shallow.

Roxas continued to hold him, long after his heart had stopped, until there was nothing but black dust in his hands.

Naminé had crumbled. It was as simple as that.

Riku held her so tight in his arms she would have bruises the next day, his coat draped around her shaking shoulders. Naminé had taken one look at him and she had understood.

"Shhh, Naminé…" Riku's fingers found their way into flaxen hair, her arms constricted even more around his chest. "It's all right, I promise."

Naminé's voice was waterlogged, "I killed-"

"- a very bad man. He was going to hurt you, and you defended yourself. I think the world would rather see him dead than you." He kissed the top of her head, "We probably should've realized you could use the darkness like how Kairi uses the light, anyway."

Naminé sniffled, broke into tears again, "D-Does this mean I'm a Heartless now too?"

Riku couldn't help the small twitch of his lips; her obliviousness to Darkness was ironic, considering what she had just done. "No, you didn't lose your heart, now did you?" he pulled back, tilted her chin up, "Naminé, you're still you." He found her eyes held so much love and fear that it stabbed through his heart with such blatant understanding he was surprised he didn't realize it before. "No one's going to be mad at you, trust me on that. I'll teach you how to control it, all right?"

She nodded, buried her face in his chest. He went on, "Don't be afraid. I won't let _anything_ take you away from me, Naminé." His arms were tight around her again, his lips in her hair.

Naminé opened her eyes just enough to see Roxas and the black dust in his hands.

* * *

...

_Sorry Kurix D: but it's necessary. _

_I wonder if anyone realizes why these characters are being killed off yet? We'll see. _

_Leave a review on your way out...Oh, and by the way-_

_Sephiroth SO deserved it D_

_Next update will be...maybe by Friday :P_


	25. This Is War

…_..*is shot* _

_I don't have much of an excuse other than the monster known as Writers' Block tried to eat my muse, and she ran away and hid, and um…_

_Now I can't find her, though I started to at the end Dx_

_Thanks to DivineWolfe and Guardian Soul for their lovely input and ideas~_

_Enjoy~_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

The scream that tore from Roxas's throat was loud enough to startle Kairi out of her sleep, sitting up before she was even fully awake. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hands, catching sight of Sora leaning against the window with his arms crossed, head tilted and staring down at the Garden below. His voice was soft.

"Kurix is dead." Kairi's hand froze mid rub, one eye cracking open. "That guy…Sephiroth, I think, killed him." He turned, and when he did she saw the shame in his eyes, downcast to the floor as they were. His fingers tugged the hem of his sleeve, "He…he thought it was Riku, and…" Sora gestured almost helplessly to the window, "I saw it." His eyes finally drifted up to meet hers and Kairi felt everything drain from her from the day before.

Demyx was dead and nothing would change that. She'd get over it- Sora had seen something he couldn't _not_ see, now that the vision was in his head. Kairi understood before the words left his mouth.

"I thought…I watched…" She pushed herself off the bed, nearly running to him, watching his shoulders sag in response as she crossed the small space and folded him into a tight embrace, his arms pressed against his own chest as his hands wrapped around the chain on his neck. The crown pendant dug into the flesh of his palms, Kairi heard the water in his voice, the slight congestion and nasal tone. His cheeks were red, the skin around his eyes puffy and raw.

Had she really been in that deep of a sleep that she hadn't heard him crying?

Kairi ran her fingers up and down his spine with one hand and fitted the other into messy brown spikes, easing his head to her shoulder. He took a shaky and sudden breath and said all at once, "I thought I watched my best friend die."

Kairi pressed her lips to his ear and said in the softest voice she could find, "It's all right, shhh, Sora." He sucked in another breath and sniffled loud.

She had never heard him cry before. The sound of it tore her up inside, like she'd swallowed a razorblade and now it worked its painful trek down her esophagus, stomach, intestines (but not before cutting a sizable hole around her heart). One of his arms came around her, holding tight- Kairi felt her ribs shift and push against his.

"No, it's not." He'd buried the bridge of his nose against her neck, Kairi's fingers rubbed his scalp as if to soothe him but she only felt him growing more tense, "I just…_watched._ That bastard went for Naminé and I didn't do-"

Kairi pulled away, searching his face, "Naminé?"

He looked away, nodded, "She's fine. She used the darkness the same way you used light to kill Ansem. She thought it was Riku too, I think."

Kairi let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding, shook her head, "It's all right, Sora." His head found its place against her neck again.

"Would it be all right if I just let Naminé die, too?" the bitterness in his voice surprised her, and Kairi felt her arms tighten around him.

"But she didn't-"

Sora pulled away this time, nearly shoving her back, "But she _could have_ and I just _stood there_, Kairi!" he took a step back, reaching up to run his free hand through his hair, his breathing had gotten heavy, erratic. The tears returned to his bloodshot eyes full force, and Kairi felt herself shrinking when they spilled over lashes and trailed accusing ways down his cheeks. "I…" his voice broke, he breathed so deep she saw ribs ripple beneath his shirt, "I just…" his voice cracked again, he blinked rapidly and looked towards the door.

Kairi took a tentative step forward, bit her lip and then said, "I wouldn't blame you, Sora." His eyes snapped to hers and she went to him the rest of the way, bringing her hands up to his chest. Her fingers found the arm that was still crossed over himself, his hand clenching too hard on the silver crown. Kairi could see red between his fingers, his knuckles turned white, and she prodded gently at the skin, leaning forward against him. Sora's nose rubbed her forehead and Kairi turned her eyes up to him, blinking large, beautiful azure to meet his. "He's your brother. When Ansem took Naminé away from my world? I was…I couldn't move. I thought she was just gone." She leaned in and kissed his nose, closing her eyes. She felt Sora relax and let out a soft sigh, a warm brush of air on her cheek. "I understand."

When she sat back and opened her eyes, Sora sniffled again. Kairi's fingers had finally pried his hand from the necklace and she saw the three sharp indents near the base of his index, middle and ring fingers. Blood was smeared across his palm and the surface of the necklace, but it wasn't much. Just enough that she was sure a simple napkin wouldn't suffice. Kairi brought the hand to her lips and kissed his fingers, "Let's go see them, all right?"

Sora nodded, sniffled one last time, "R-Riku is with her now."

Kairi nodded, kissed his cheek before tugging him towards the door, "Come on, Sniffles."

He cracked a smile at that, Kairi grinned. "Okay."

* * *

It was just….dust.

Roxas stared at his upturned palms, not caring that tears were still leaking from his eyes. He looked up to the sky and watched the last bits of his only family waver in the sky, dotting the sun black and turning the air gray. Roxas felt a breeze pick up and shivered.

Looking back down at his hands, Roxas closed his fists till his knuckles turned white, the leather of his gloves stretching- he brought them to his face and let out a shuddering breath. He felt his skin prick with a sudden coldness as more tears dripped down his face, they dried quickly and made his skin feel tight, like he wasn't meant for his own body.

Roxas drew in breath for another scream, the pain welling inside him to an unbearable point, squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as he could and letting his lashes stick to his cheeks, tears like glue. His coat was pulled taut around his ribs as he felt his lungs burn.

Before he had the chance to scream, a warm body was pressed to his, arms wrapped around his shoulders, hands guiding his forehead to a dainty shoulder. Roxas jumped, opening his eyes to find tufts of red hair in his vision.

Kairi rested her cheek against the top of his head, "I'm here."

Roxas took that as a sign to wrap his own arms around her, catching her in a bone crushing hug, keeping his eyes open just enough to see Sora a few feet away, hanging on to Riku as if his life depended on it.

Naminé sat back from the two, unable to keep the watery smile that surfaced on her lips as Sora hugged Riku so tight his face had started to turn blue. Riku patted Sora's head, glancing at Naminé. She waved and scooted back, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

"Sora," Riku attempted to pry his arms from around his shoulders, "What's wrong?"

Sora sat back, taking a deep breath and composing himself as much as he could, although he kept his hands on Riku's shoulders, "I…" he shook his head, "I saw it from my room. I thought you were…"

"Dead?" Naminé crawled back over to them, sneaking her arms around her boyfriend's waist and getting her nose buried against his side. "He's okay." She sighed as she said it, like a weight was lifted from her shoulders, and turned her head to meet Sora's gaze, flaxen hair obscuring her vision.

Sora pulled back, scratched the back of his head and looked down, "I'm sorry. I should've came out to help-"

Riku shook his head and pulled Naminé into his lap, earning a small squeak of surprise from her as he said, "We're all right, Sora. Don't blame yourself."

* * *

A few hours after the castle had been settled down, Leon, Tifa and Cloud had snuck out for a little exploration. Tifa had noticed a barn-style building about a half a mile from the castle, having been admiring the scenery from a high window; she'd convinced the other two to go out with her to see it. Now, the group stood inside the building, gathered around the first stall with equal looks of wonder and curiosity.

"…What _is_ it?" Leon scratched the back of his head, his eyes trailing over the creature in front of him. Through the slats in the windows near the rafters, white sunlight filtered through dust clouded air.

Beside him, Tifa tilted her head, a hand placed thoughtfully on her chin, the other on her hip. She glanced around, catching sight of more stalls, all filled with the same, cute (albeit strange) creatures. She caught sight of a faded blue sign nailed to the aged wood wall behind the first stall they'd come across.

_Chocobo Ranch_

She coughed, then said, "Whatever a 'Chocobo' is, I guess…" she brushed past Leon and approached the first one, vibrant yellow compared to its surroundings and a good two feet taller than Tifa. It tilted its head when Tifa got to the banister of its little home, reaching her arm out slow, palm up. The chocobo clawed the dusty floors impatiently, then shoved its head forward, pushing its way under Tifa's hand and letting out a tiny squawk of approval. Tifa jumped, grinned, and reached out with her other hand, petting its feathery head with one hand and rubbing its beak with the other. "Awww…"

Cloud shook his head, "It's like a giant chicken."

"But _cuter._" Tifa's grin grew when the chocobo she was petting moved forward, obviously trusting her. "Try it." She scratched gently at the base of its skull and one of its talons started tapping rhythmically against the floor, gaining the attention of the others.

Cloud shrugged, moved forward and-

Tifa moved in his way, "Find your own." She turned and stuck her tongue out at him and at the same time her new friend let out another little squawk, earning an eye roll from Cloud.

He sighed, "Fine, fine." Moving to the stall next to Tifa's, he found a smaller one. It was brown, roughly half the height of the other and ruffling its wings like it was just as impatient as the first. Glancing up at Tifa, he said, "This one's little."

Tifa looked up, leaning over the side of the stall while still petting her chocobo, "It is?" at the moment she leaned over, the little one looked up, its eyes wide. "Awwww…"

Cloud let his hand down and it reacted the same way Tifa's had, although the squawk it let out was more of a squeak. It rubbed its side against the stall door, tilting its head back to look at Cloud. "I like him."

Leon came up next to him, "Him?"

Cloud nodded towards the back of the pen where a tiny, dirt smudged sign hung. It was green, the letters on it brown; _Stanley._

Leon shook his head, "Tifa, what's yours called?"

Tifa stood on the tips of her toes and leaned to the left, "Um…Patty." She stood back for a moment and scratched the side of Patty's neck, the animal closing its eyes and leaning its weight towards her in happiness.

"Go find one." Cloud had taken to rubbing both sides of Stanley's neck, the creature's entire body shaking from side to side.

Turning away, Leon crossed his arms and took a quick scan of the room. All the chocobos were either eating or peaking over the doors to their stalls, curious. All except…

Walking down the aisle the stalls made, Leon came to one in the middle, four stalls from where Cloud was. It appeared empty although there was a dented bucket in front of it filled with what appeared to be vegetables, stepping around the bucket, Leon took a tentative look over the door of the stall.

The floor was covered in dust and hay, a mass of black feathers curled up in the far left corner. Unlike most of the other chocobos, there wasn't a name plate for this one, instead just a piece of plain wood and a tiny can of black paint with a paintbrush dipped into it seated on a shelf next to it. Leon tilted his head and snapped his fingers, "Hey."

The enormous ball of feathers shifted, but nothing else.

Leaning back, Leon saw Cloud and Tifa had moved into the stalls with their little friends. Glancing back at the black one, Leon shook his head, "Hey, you."

There was a small, indignant squawk but otherwise the creature didn't move. "Hmm…" looking back down at the dented bucket, Leon grabbed a piece of one of the vegetables and leaned down, shaking it while saying, "Come on; I have some food for you."

Raising its head, the chocobo let out a yawn and ruffled its feathers, finally standing up. As it turned it shook itself out, clouds of dust puffing from beneath feathers. Leon raised his eyebrows, "Been a while since anyone came to see you, huh?" the nameless chocobo plodded over, leaning in almost cautiously to nibble on the end of the offered food before opening its beak and chomping down. Leon withdrew his hand quickly, a small smile on his lips.

"Easy." He reached out to pet it, running his hand up its beak. The nameless chocobo leaned in a little, then shoved its head under his hand.

"Having fun?" Tifa called out from the other end of the barn, poking her head out from the side of her chocobo.

Leon waved her off, grabbed another piece of food and offered it to his new friend. The chocobo reared back and Leon pulled his hand away, wondering if he offended it somehow, before the creature let out a loud sneeze, bringing its wings up and blowing dust in Leon's general direction.

Coughing, Leon doubled over and shook his head, ignoring the laughter from the other side of the room, and tossed the food at the now confused chocobo.

Leon rubbed his nose and stood back up, finding the black feathered animal had come closer, blinking large eyes curiously at him. He reached out to touch it, stroked its neck once and- it reared back again, preparing itself for another dust-induced sneeze.

Leon was smart enough to take cover this time and duck behind the stall door, glancing up to watch the dust fly out above his head.

* * *

"Is that….Sora…Dancing?" Naminé tilted her head in thought, her finger tapping her lips, other hand wound around Riku's as they walked into the room. Moments before, Sora had sent out what must have been a mass text message, calling for anyone that wasn't currently busy to wander into Kairi's dance room for a surprise. Before Riku had even opened the door the music could be heard, classy and slow and sharp.

Naminé was sure she recognized the tune from somewhere, but all thoughts escaped her at the sight of Sora.

Kairi was obviously attempting to teach him how to dance, her feet cast out in a plié and her right arm up in the air, the other hovering by her waist. She was attempting not to laugh as Sora struck the same pose, bending his knees the same way she did.

Riku raised an eyebrow, drawing Naminé closer to him, he opened his mouth to say something but was cut off as Kairi bounced from her position and took a long graceful leap across the room, her toes pointed and legs stretched, she turned her chest and spotted herself in the mirror, landing on one leg with her other foot resting lightly on the floor. Sora followed suit, grinning, and Kairi nearly collapsed with laughter.

"It…looks like it." Riku shook his head, "Think they saw us yet?"

Naminé grinned up at him with a glint in her eye he wasn't sure he liked, and said, "They will now."

Riku looked up at Sora and Kairi, who were now mirroring each other as the leaped again, back the way they'd come, and was about to say something when Naminé let out a call for Kairi in a high pitched voice he'd only heard her use once, when a spider had crawled on her leg.

"_KAIRIII!"_ Naminé seemed to frolic out to her sister, holding tight to Riku's hand and dragging him along, she added, "Riku wants to learn ballet too!"

* * *

Letting out a breath, Leon used his thumb to swipe dirt and dust off his cheek while he leaned over and unlatched the door with his other hand, shuffling through stray and clumps of half chewed food. The black chocobo stood straighter and tilted its head, ruffling its feathers at him as he walked past it.

"_Kweh?"_ Leon waved the animal off and walked over to the little board at the back of its stall and snagged the paintbrush and cup from their spots on the shelf. He glanced back at the chocobo for a moment, swirling the paintbrush in the can while he thought on his decision.

Behind him, the oversized bird let out a high squawk and sneezed again; Leon felt _more_ dust pile up on his clothes, sift through his hair and stick to his skin. Shaking his head, called over his shoulder to the bird, "This is only because I like you."

Raising the paintbrush, he wrote in the neatest letters he could, all capitals, the name he'd picked out.

_DUSTY_

And of course, underneath that; _Someone clean me!_

"That's a cute name."

Leon jumped, nearly dropping the can and paintbrush, and whirled around. Cloud and Tifa were leaning against the stall door, scratching just under Dusty's beak with newly practiced fingers. Dusty reared back suddenly, ripping away from their hands, and flapped his wings to send a huge dust storm their way, taking a few steps back.

Leon saw it coming before he could stop it, "No, Dusty!"

And before he knew it, the force of the sneeze sent the bird skidding back, slamming its tail feathers against him, crashing him into the wall before jumping away from him. Closing his eyes, Leon slid down the wall with a groan as he felt a few ribs bend and his back crack up his spine.

"Leon?" Tifa's voice was covered in laughter, and he was sure he heard Cloud trying to choke out a word or two.

Leon blinked; opening his eyes to find Dusty had turned around and was hovering over him, its beak turned down to stare him in the face with questioning eyes. Raising a shaking hand, Leon coughed and patted the dust-allergic creature on the side of its neck. "…Someone get him a tissue."

* * *

"You have _got_ to be-"

"-C'mon, Riku! It's fun!"

"Sora…_Shut up_."

Kairi grinned, leaning back against the mirror and crossing her arms, she said to Naminé, "You're phone takes pictures?"

Naminé flipped out her cell, her expression a reflection of Kairi's, "I'm on it."

Kairi turned her attention back to the scene before her- she had started the song over and shown the small group that had shown up how to do a few simple dances like ballet positions and ballroom styled movements, then had decided to go into partner swapping.

And…that was how she'd ended up with the spectacle of Sora clinging to Riku as they swayed awkwardly to the music, Riku looking more like he'd rather bolt than stay and Sora throwing his friend a look that he said was 'dreamy'.

"How come you two aren't dancing together?" Riku tried to pull away and Sora slammed an arm around his waist.

Kairi felt a laugh bubbling in her throat, "I'm the teacher, I have to make sure you're moving right, silly."

Naminé added in as an afterthought, "And I'm her assistant." She stabbed the button on her camera before turning to show Kairi the picture, putting a hand to her lips. In the picture, Riku was taking a step to the side, an arm around Sora's neck and their hands clasped together, Sora's arm was around Riku's waist, his head angled up, and eyes wide, his lips brought up in a grin so big Naminé thought his face would crack. "Riku, _smile!_"

* * *

Roxas sat on his bed, knees drawn up to his chest and his hands balled into tight fists. His cheek rested against his leg, his nose red and eyes bloodshot, creased with veins and all the more brighter because of that. He blinked once, slow, as he took in a deep breath, felt the air well in his lungs and spill back out past his lips. His hair was more of a mess than usual, clumped and in disarray.

Roxas stared at the carpeted floor, the full length mirror set next to the doorway across from him. He found himself glaring at his reflection, recalling memories of -

_He stood with nothing but a towel around his waist, patches of his skin still rubbed raw from Vexen's constant 'mothering' when he'd first been made. Kur—_his eyes shut tight and willed the name away—_had shown him the shower and locked the door behind him, stating he couldn't come out until "all of that green crap" was off of him. After effectively cleaning himself, Roxas had snagged a towel and found that K—_he pounded his fists against the side of his skull in frustration—_had unlocked the door. He stumbled out, saw the full mirror nearby and stood before it. He'd puffed out his chest, running his fingers over ripples of skin and bumps from ribs, gasping when he felt himself grow ticklish. He had opened his arms, palms out, and stared at veins, veins that were undoubtedly-_

-fake freedom and people he'd never see again.

Roxas tore himself from the bed, flinging himself towards the mirror and stopping just shy of a foot from it, his breathing heavy and lips drawn into a thin line. He held his right arm out and summoned-

_-a fake Keyblade. K-_he growled and drew his arm back-_ couldn't believe it when it'd first appeared, and had actually scolded himself for not being able to do the same. He'd seemed jealous at first, then intrigued, then excited beyond belief. Why? Because with Roxas's bright and shiny Keyblade they could-_

-kill them all. Fuck 'em.

Roxas thought of the Organization; of Xemnas's cold eyes, Zexion's indifference, Vexen's manipulative plans and Saїx's blind fury. Roxas thought of all of them and thought of the ways they could've hurt him and Kuri-his friends, and if he couldn't think up a real reason, he made one.

Hatred as white and sharp as a winter blasted knife cut into his skin and Roxas's face twisted into a snarl of utter fury. Curling his arm back, Roxas tightened his grip on his Fake Keyblade and whipped it back around, screaming, "_THIS IS-_

_-_war." Xemnas turned on his heel, another of those dead smiles gracing his lips, "Lexeaus, Zexion, Saїx, Xigbar, Xaldin; Our Heartless are dead." He crossed his arms, "Taking over Kairi's world is no longer an attainable goal, but…." He shook his head, dead smile growing, "Kairi is still here, as are Sora, Riku, Naminé…"

"Don't forget Vexen's surviving puppet, Roxas." Lexeaus turned his face to the floor, "Your point, Xemnas?"

The Superior turned back around, "Everything I've said; war."

_

* * *

_

So…I've decided this story needs to end soon, and I'm guessing we've got a good….three chapters left.

_Yep T.T My little series has to end sometime. After BBS comes out, I might continue if I get a feel for the characters, but we'll see._

_Otherwise, be on the look out for more random one-shots and the like, maybe even another chapter story :D If I get courage to put it up. It has OCs, and I know they aren't taken lightly around here xD So, we'll see._

_Anyway, peace, enjoy your weekends and review, my loves, I'll update soon~_

_If we get close enough to two hundred (here's a stretch xD) I'll send up a special oneshot. :D_

_Peace~_


	26. No Mercy

_Ugh DX I know I said I was gonna update sooner this time…and I actually started writing this the day after I posted the last chapter! I was attacked by an onslaught of writer's block after this first scene here, so excuse the lateness. There are a few parts of this chapter that I think need work, but I think the ending makes up for it. Besides, I reread this damn thing like three times already XD _

_You'll like it, and I fully expect some sort of anger from you guys with what happens in here- but anyway, enjoy, one of the last chapters of Darkness or Dawn~_

_And please pardon the fact that FF is being a complete wreck and won't center or divide anything DXX_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Darkness or Dawn**_

_No Mercy_

Naminé sat cross legged on the cotton covered bed beneath her, pencils splayed out in a fan beside her. She rested her fingertips against the black pencil, worn as it was and contemplated using it for a moment, holding it just an inch above her paper. She bit her bottom lip in thought, breathing in through her nose as she decided better of it and grabbed a blue pencil first and etched a few dark lines around the subject of her picture.

With the soft rustling of sheets, a pale hand snaked its way around her arm. Naminé didn't take her eyes from her work but smiled, "Good morning, Riku."

Beside her, Riku lifted his head from his pillow for a moment, opening his eyes just a sliver, "Mmm…" he let himself flop back down, hand trailing from her arm and falling to her knee, "What time is it?"

Naminé grinned, "Around nine. I shut off your alarm to make up for the dancing yesterday." She brushed some hair from her face and ran her fingers down the lines of her drawing, "I hope you don't mind…" she glanced at him and met sleepy green eyes.

"Nah…" he tugged on the hem of her skirt, earning another smile, "What are you drawing?" his fingers worked a clumsy way up to her sketchbook, attempting to pull the edge down so he could see.

Naminé pulled away, sticking her tongue out at him, "Nuh-uh, you can't see it. It's not done. Besides," she glanced at the nearly complete image again, " it's for Roxas."

Riku sat up at that, scooting next to her, "Trying to make him feel better?" Naminé nodded, Riku kissed the top of her head before turning back around and sliding off his side of the bed, "All right. I'll be in the shower."

* * *

"_Hey, Roxas." _

_He turned his head, snapping back to reality and out of daydreams to find his (only) friend walking the expanse of the room. "Yeah?" the door on the other side of the room was still slipping shut, bright rays of white spilling across the room. Kurix's form was given a silver lining, his hair glowing around him._

'_Not this memory again…' he tried to pull away from it and found himself stuck in a rift of what was._

_Kurix walked past him; tugging open the drapes by his bedside and letting red sunlight coat the walls. "Do you know why the sun sets red?" he let his hands trail down the pleats of the drapes, his eyes shutting, as he waited, "Well?" _

_Roxas only stared at him. He was seated in the middle of the bed, he'd been ordered to rest up for a few days. Kurix had been bringing him food, keeping him company, and telling him all about Vexen while he gathered the strength he needed. _

'_Kurix!' Roxas heard the name echoing around his head, but he remained silent. He tried moving his arms, his legs- but nothing worked._

_Now, as Roxas stared at Kurix, he saw something like hurt cross the Replica's face, spilling over his features like the crimson of the sky. His hair was stained red in the light, his skin rosy and, as he opened his eyes, glowing. Kurix tilted his head, "You listening?" _

_Roxas met his gaze, "I…I don't know why." he kept up the fight to scream but he couldn't. The memory was clear as day to him, and he couldn't change it._

_Kurix smirked and looked back out at the sun, stepping to the side as Roxas craned his neck to see, "Because, out of all the colors mixed in with the sun and sky and all- red's the strongest." _

_Like a smack to the face, Roxas felt himself starting to wake up. He'd replayed this memory in his dreams since Kurix's death, knowing there was something important hidden there but unable to find it for himself. The memory was one of his most clear, and it was haunting him. Every time he dreamed this memory he woke up more hurt and angrier than before- like he was picking at stitches in a still fresh wound. _

_Kurix turned to face him, his smirk turning to a smile, "You have a favorite color, Roxas?" _

_Roxas stared out at the skyline, seeing the brilliant reds and oranges, he had decided then, "Red." _

_Kurix let go of the drapes and came down beside Roxas, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You'll be all right, Roxas." _

'_He never said that…' Roxas turned his face away from Kurix, knowing how the memory went, stuck on a set track like some kind of theme park ride. He was stuck in it, like he'd been strapped in and forced to endure this—but Kurix's memory was acting on its own. He should've said… he should have said…_

_Kurix's face was melting into the area, the red stained room and all it's exposed shadows stretching and mixing like paint, bleeding together._

"_Roxas," Kurix's voice was growing farther away, like all fading dreams, "Paint the sky red tonight." _

* * *

"How can you dance to no music?" Sora shifted in his place, arms crossed over his chest as his eyes followed Kairi's figure, a silhouette in the yellow light of morning. Her shadow was tall across the floor, so dark in comparison to the sky filtering through her windows that Sora half expected it to sprout from the ground and continue dancing right along with her.

Kairi's voice was breathless as she leapt from one foot to the next, a slightly more complicated move than the one she'd taught him the day before. "I'm not."

Sora tilted his head, "Am I deaf?"

Kairi heard the smile in his voice, "No, I have a song in my head, and I don't really count _this-"_ she whipped herself into a back flip, her legs a pin-straight line of black, "-As dancing." Kairi worked her way into a few fast turns, spotting herself in the mirror to keep her balance. When Sora didn't respond, she stopped and glanced around, her head dizzy despite the mirror helping her. She stumbled and braced a hand on the wall, her eyes landing on Sora.

He grinned, having snuck around her and hit the 'play' button on her stereo, "Dance, Kairi, dance!"

* * *

Naminé heard the soft pelting of water droplets on the tile floor of the shower through the closed door, it being the only noise aside from the occasional rustle of wind outside her open window. She pressed her ear to the door and contemplated leaving him a note instead before thinking better of it. She knocked twice before cracking the door open, humid air greeting her senses as friendly as a brick wall to the face.

"Riku?" she turned her body half out of the doorway, worried the sudden change in temperature would damage the picture she'd spent so long making.

"…Naminé?" she grinned at the curiosity in his voice.

"I'm gonna take my picture to Roxas now, okay?"

A beat passed before Riku cracked the shower curtain, leaning against the wall. His hair stuck to his head, suds down his cheeks. Naminé couldn't help the girlish laugh that escaped her lips, "You look silly."

He smirked, "Thanks. If you want to wait a minute, I'll be right out."

Naminé shook her head, blond tresses in her view, "You just got in!" she shook her head again, "I'm all right, just meet me down there later. We'll…You can teach me more about…" she trailed off, glancing down at her picture, "Wanna see it?"

He nodded, dipping back into the shower for a moment to wash the soap off his face and pull drenched hair back out of his view. When he resurfaced, dragging the curtain in front of his waist to keep at least a shred of decency, Naminé was grinning and holding the picture proudly before her, two fingers up in the corners to make sure he saw the full view.

"Wow…" he leaned forward; bending to her level, "When did you start this?" he raised an eyebrow at her, Naminé's smile turned sheepish.

"I…might have started it last night." She shifted her fingers, "Do you like it?" He nodded, "Do you think Roxas will?"

"Of course, Naminé." He leaned in and Naminé pulled the picture behind herself to shield it from any falling water drops as Riku kissed her cheek, "I'll be out soon."

* * *

"…You spent the day…playing with Chocobos?" Vincent shook his head, glanced at Cloud.

Cloud shrugged, "It was all right."

Beside him, Tifa grabbed his hand and cooed, "Aww, you loved it and you know it. Leon made a new friend, didn't he?" she cast a glance back the ex-doctor, he rolled his eyes but the hints of a smile were still there.

"Anyway…" Cid sidled up beside Vincent, "We called ya here for a special present, from The King himself, isn't that right, Valentine?" he put his hands on his hips and nudged Vincent with his elbow.

Vincent crossed his arms, "We're preparing for a fight. The King wants everyone to be ready."

Tifa tilted her head, "We're fighting, too?"

Cid smirked, "Oh, so you're a cheerleader."

The look Tifa gave him was enough to make Cid take a step back. "I just wasn't aware." She crossed her arms, "We can fight, right, Cloud?"

He glanced at her, "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to fight." Vincent motioned him over. As Cloud moved to follow him, seeing the pile of weapons lying on the grass, Tifa huffed,

"Excuse me?" she reared around him, arms crossed, "Martial artist, remember?"

Cloud ran a hand down his face, "Tifa-"

"We can find a weapon for you." Cloud turned to Vincent, who was rummaging through the pile until he found what he was looking for. "Here."

Tifa blinked, tilting her head as she reached with a tentative hand, "Gloves?" she ran her fingers over the back of one of them, "Is there something in them?"

Cid grinned, "Metal knuckles. Pretty cool, ain't it?"

Tifa stared at the new gift for a moment before a smile spread across her face. She tugged them on, "Get your weapons so we can start getting the hang of it, boys." She turned and jogged to the middle of the garden.

Cloud shook his head, "Great."

Vincent handed him a sword, "See if you can hold that."

After getting a good enough grip on it, Cloud lifted the sword with ease, "Seems fine." He glanced at the gun on Vincent's hip, Leon spoke up for him,

"Why swords?" he came up beside Cloud, "I think if you shot them with a gun it'd work just fine."

Cid snorted, "It's harder than it looks."

Vincent uncrossed his arms, "They mostly use close range weapons."

Cid patted Vincent on the back, jarring him for a moment out of surprise, " 'Sides, that's Vinnie's thing. Swords are popular." He scratched his head, "But if you want a gun…" he leaned over, prodding through the group until he found what he wanted, "Why not have both?"

Leon tilted his head, "You're kidding."

* * *

Naminé's footfalls echoed along the empty hallway; the picture pulled close to her chest and her head tilted down towards the floor. She kept her shoulders drawn straight, determined that no matter what Roxas's reaction was- be it anger, sadness, a fit- whatever, she wouldn't cower away. She was expecting some sort of anger from him. It was clear that something in him had snapped after Kurix's death- he was falling, simply put. She had felt the first touches of despair and oblivion when who she had mistaken as Riku, _her_ Riku, had been snatched away. The ground had become nothing under her feet, naught but a few blades of useless grass and she was simply standing, floating, watching.

Kurix's body had jerked violently when Sephiroth's knife cut into him. He had let out this cry, sharp as the knife that was stealing him away and full of surprise. Naminé had this feeling he might not have been in such an amazing amount of pain but in shock- but then again, she'd never know. All that she _did_ know was that, for a few brief hellish moments she knew what kind of darkness Roxas was currently facing- that fear of being alone, of being without that person that clearly he was attached to, that was his other half.

Roxas had lost his best friend, his brother (which was partially true, since they'd both been made by the same man). That night, when Riku was settling for sleep and Naminé had swept up her pencils and sketchbook in a flurry of talented fingers and an aching imagination and still trembling heart, she had reached elbow deep within her memory to pull out the feeling she had come to contact with. She forced herself to remember the stunning clear moments when she thought Riku was dead, and with him he was taking a part of her she'd never find again. She forced herself to remember, to think, to imagine, and when she'd opened her eyes she had started the outline of what was to be her drawing.

Naminé stopped just outside of Roxas's door. She blinked, wondering if she was really there or not. The trip had seemed so much longer when she had mapped it out.

She knocked gently at first, and a moment later when no one answered she slammed her fist against it so hard that she was sure her message got through. _Open the damn door, Roxas._

She stepped back when the lock clicked open and the knob turned, the door pulled inwards a few inches. Roxas's face appeared in the crevice made, his eyes still burning with tears and bloodshot, the skin around them puffy. His eyes though, tearful as they were, had grown harsh. He narrowed them, brow knitting together as he let the door open further and crossed his arms.

"What do you want?"

Naminé sighed, opened her mouth to speak and thought better of it, for the moment. Instead, she turned the drawing away from herself and held it out to him by its edges.

Roxas only stared, something in his expression softening, a glittering of recognition. "What's this supposed to be?"

"I…I know it's only a picture, Roxas. And a picture can't bring back what you lost." She bit her lip in thought for a moment, met Roxas's eyes, "But I thought…As long as you knew someone was here for you…" Naminé looked away, her arms lowering. "I was there. I saw what happened to him."

Roxas snatched the picture from her hands, the edges crinkling. Naminé was sure she heard a tear, and she wasn't sure if it was the paper or her heart. She'd spent hours working on a gift for him, and he wasn't even acknowledging it.

"Get out of my sight." Roxas's eyes met hers before flicking back to the paper. "Just go." He turned to shut the door and Naminé shoved her hand against the wood, throwing herself into his room.

"No, Roxas." She glanced at her drawing, "Is there something wrong with it? I'm trying to tell you-"

"-You'll be there for me, right?" Naminé noticed only then how close they were. She'd nearly fallen into him when she'd pushed her way past the door, and he towered over her as she looked up into those eyes. They were harsh, angry- and completely and irreversibly lost. "You'll be there. Like Kurix was. You'll help me through this _hard time_, won't you?" his hand formed a fist around the drawing, "I _don't need you!"_

Naminé felt the edges of the paper poking and probing her shoulder when Roxas's hands came up on either side of her and shoved. She screamed, more out of surprised than fear, and stumbled back, arms pin-wheeling at her sides. She landed on hard tile and stared up at Roxas from a drapery of disheveled blond hair.

"Roxas…."

"You all think…" Roxas shook his head, "A _picture _isn't going to fix this! What _is_ this?" he looked down at the crumpled page in his hand, "Paper. Wax. It's _nothing_, Naminé. A piece of paper that won't fix what happened when I watched _my own brother-_"

"Well, isn't this interesting?" Roxas's voice stopped- not faded or trailed off. As if someone had clamped a hand over his mouth, Roxas slapped his lips shut and stared past Naminé at the figure on the other side of the hall. He had just appeared out of wisps of black and thin air, but he was there. Solid.

A silver haired head tipped up in greeting and Roxas met Kurix's eyes. Roxas's voice was thin and strained, "K…Kurix?"

…Real?

Naminé scooted to the side before scrambling to her feet, getting out of his way as he pulled from the wall and started forward. He wore the same expression Kurix always had, or seemed to wear- bored with a hint of mild curiosity.

He tilted his head towards Naminé, to the side like a lost puppy, "Naminé. Good to see you."

Something flashed behind his eyes, something gray and cold, and Naminé realized that no, this was not Kurix.

Not real.

As Kurix stepped forward, solid and tangible and seemingly real, Naminé watched the edges of his outline fade, giving away like graphite streaks smudged with tissues and practiced fingers. Behind him, Naminé saw a familiar gray haired man with silver blue eyes and a book in his left hand. The smirk tugging at his lips made her want to smack it off of his smug face, but she remained rooted to her spot.

Roxas, of all people, would see this.

Roxas's eyes had grown wide. His hand let go of the destroyed picture Naminé had given him- a black bird flying high into a red smeared sunset- and had reached up to grab Kurix's hair. He tugged gently and Naminé watched the ghost of Zexion fade back into his façade of Kurix.

His face twisted, "Ow, Roxas, cut it out." He swatted Roxas's hand away.

"Roxas, get away from him!" Naminé took a step forward but faltered at the glare Roxas sent her, "You watched him _fade_. He can't _be here_, Roxas. Kurix is gone."

Roxas's glare turned deadly and he took a step forward, pushing Kurix out of the way.

Zexion lost his balance and tripped, falling to his side and catching himself on the doorway. Kurix's face flickered and faded and suddenly it was only Zexion, no mask or cruel attack- just Zexion.

Roxas's breath caught in his throat, Naminé stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, surprised that he let her drag him away a few inches. When Zexion looked up the expression he wore was grim but quickly faded into false humor.

"Huh. And I thought I had you, Roxas." Roxas ripped his hand from Naminé's, "You know…It's funny," He straightened, pushing away from the wall, "Lexeaus and I had a bet; which of you would die first." He brushed hair from his face, throwing his head back, "Lexeaus thought it'd be you, but I knew better. Kurix was always getting in the way, wasn't he? When Sephiroth asked where Naminé was, I could only _hope _that he took Riku out. The fact that he killed Kurix instead was a plus, I think. Fakes like the two of you are nothing."

Naminé wondered if this was Zexion's own way of committing suicide.

Beside her, Roxas's breath came in shivering gasps and she wasn't surprised when his Keyblade appeared in his hand. "_You_." He stepped forward, body angled away from Naminé, "You're the reason he's dead."

Naminé took a wise step back as Zexion went on, "Oh, no, Roxas. Don't blame me for the masterpiece Sephiroth made. It was _all_ him."

Roxas drew his arm back, "You _bastard!_"

Naminé wasn't about to stop him. She ducked back and curled herself against the wall, arms folded in on herself. She didn't know Roxas very well, and she wasn't sure what he was capable of doing, but she was frightened and smart enough to know this battle wasn't hers.

Roxas lunged, his feet carrying him so fast that Zexion hardly had time to step back once as he swung an arc, just barely scraping his nose. Roxas drew his arm back again as Zexion danced away from him, his feet swift and light on the ground.

_It's a trap._ The thought came to Naminé with such stunning clarity that she nearly doubled over, and she found herself summoning Soul Eater just in case.

As Roxas's fake Keyblade came down a third time, Zexion shoved the book in his hands under its blade, catching it. His arms visibly trembled and his voice came out in a gasp, something like fear behind his eyes,

"Is that all you've got?" Zexion shoved with both hands and Roxas's arms were flung up into the air. Taking the precious seconds he had before Roxas's next attack, the Cloaked Schemer tore open a dark portal a few feet from himself and turned on his heel, his coat catching the air around his feet in a wave goodbye.

Naminé could only watch as Roxas sped off after him, tailing him as they bounded into the dark portal. She opened her mouth to speak, but by the time the words found her throat the portal was already closing.

* * *

Cold air swept Roxas's face as he ran after Zexion. His eyes narrowed and he brought his Keyblade back just as the second portal opened, and he saw what was coming but he didn't care.

As they took their first steps through the second portal and into Castle Oblivion, Roxas swung out with as much might as he could. He almost lost his balance, and would have- if the edge of his Keyblade didn't catch across the back of Zexion's neck.

Roxas's heels dug into the ground as his body twisted to keep itself upright, his breath coming out in short puffs of hot air. Zexion's head tumbled to a bloody halt just to the left of the last remaining replica.

Looking up, Roxas found Saїx, Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, and Lexeaus gathered- weapons drawn and some semblance of shock on their faces.

He understood.

Straightening himself, Roxas brought his weapon up in a battle stance and smiled.

His only thought before flinging himself into battle was clear; _'I'm painting the sky red tonight.'_

* * *

…_:D? _

_I like this chapter, personally. (that's an understatement, I love this one) the only thing I could think when I was writing this last scene was literally ; 'OHHH SHITS HITTIN' THE FAN'_

_Probably because it was around one a.m. when I finished this XD Next chapter and last chapter will be soon. _

_I probably didn't portray Roxas the way people THOUGHT he would act, but I don't know. If I was in his position, I don't think a picture would make me happy. I think beating the stuffing out of the next bad guy I saw would, though ;)_

_Sorry, Zexy, but it had to happen. Hopefully you guys aren't too pissed xDDD_

_Reviews are muchly loved~_

Darkness or Dawn


	27. Fight & Defend

_...Just read it xD That's all I can say~ _

_Oh, yes, and I don't own any songs used, all credit is at the end. :P_

_Enjoy!_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

_Fight & Defend_

"_Lay it down, I've always been with you, hear me now, with all that's within you, be my savior, and I'll be your downfall." _

* * *

Things…had a peculiar way of happening around Disney Castle.

As the last wisps of Darkness fluttered through the air like black butterflies, another portal ripped open on the opposite side of Naminé. Scooting back, she raised Soul Eater while scrambling to her feet, her back to the wall and her eyes wide. When Riku stepped forward, he had only a moment to block the attack Naminé flung at him- and of course he caught it easily against his Keyblade, raising his eyebrows.

"Naminé, it's me, not Zexion."

Naminé's breathing was ragged, her lips a thin set line against her face, "Right." She pulled back only to swing at him again, misjudging her strength, she lost her footing and twirled in place, only stopping when Riku's arm caught around her waist and tugged her to him. Dismissing Way to the Dawn, he put his hand over her own trembling ones and listened as Soul Eater clattered to the floor, her fingers unwinding themselves like loose string. Naminé turned her head up to his and Riku kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I tried to get here in time…too much water can make it hard to sniff out-"

Naminé shook her head, "I know." And turned in his arms until her face was against his chest. She took in fistfuls of his coat and scrunched her nose, breathing in deep before mumbling to him, "We have to go tell Sora and Kairi."

Riku shook his head, putting his hands on her shoulders and gently pushing her away from him, "Where's Roxas? His scent isn't here anymore, so I could only assume…" he trailed off, having looked up and found the door to Roxas's room open. Beside the doorway was Naminé's crumbled drawing, and Riku side stepped Naminé, bending over to snatch it up. He unfolded it, smoothing out the paper with his palm while pressing it against the wall. "He didn't like it, huh?"

Naminé shook her head, her fingers combing through her hair as she leaned around him, her eyes soaking up the room. A few feet from the open door was the shattered mirror, shards a metallic snow on the ground, littering the floor. The bed sheets had been ripped from the mattress, strewn around the room in an angered frenzy- the walls wreaked of heartache.

Riku's hand on her shoulder startled her and Naminé whipped around, stumbling into the doorframe opposite herself. He grabbed her hand, "Easy, Naminé."

She breathed deep again, closing her eyes, "He hated it. We were fighting and then…" she raised her eyes to Riku's, clearly troubled, "Zexion showed up, dressed up like Kurix. He could…shapeshift or something, I don't know, but Roxas thought he was Kurix. When he found out it wasn't, Zexion told him that he had sent Sephiroth here, and he had hoped you would be killed, but since Kurix was killed…" she shook her head, "_He _got Kurix killed, and Roxas…just couldn't contain himself. He followed Zexion when he ran, and now they're…" she let out a sigh and waved her hand where the portal had been, "Gone."

Riku glanced down at the picture in his hand, "Let's go then."

Naminé tilted her head as he turned around, walking back towards Soul Eater, "Where?"

Riku cast a glance over his shoulder as he picked up her weapon, "To Sora and Kairi. Remember?" he turned around and pointed Soul Eater at her, hilt down. Naminé took it with both hands.

"Are we getting Roxas back?"

* * *

"_When you're at the end of the road, and you've lost all sense of control, and your thoughts have taken their toll- when your mind breaks the spirit of your soul. Your faith walks on broken glass, and the hangover doesn't pass…Nothing's ever built to last; you're in ruins."_

* * *

There was a fire behind Lexeaus's eyes as he chased. Like a hunter, an animal, going in for the kill.

But Roxas was too fast, and as he danced backwards he replayed memory over memory of Kurix and reminded himself that no matter how tired he became, he had to keep going.

Rolling to the side, Roxas felt blood and dirt mix against his face and Lexeaus's weapon shattered the Earth with an explosion of orange, rubble and rocks raining from the sky after smacking against the ceiling. Jumping to his feet, Roxas managed to dive between Lexeaus's legs before he could start another attack- Only to be met with Saїx on the other side.

Their blades met once, twice- Saїx drew back and raised his weapon over head, his eyes glowing with the light of a thousand moons, before smashing it back down. The air shook behind it, split and severed; Roxas dodged again and watched the surprise in Saїx's eyes flicker, a scream tearing from his throat as Lexeaus's tomahawk tug into the spot Roxas had been standing in not a moment before.

A sound like a thunderclap echoed, ricocheting off the walls as their strikes met, a back sweep of power clouding around them. Saїx flew through the air a moment later, being the smaller of the two, while Lexeaus stumbled back and lost his footing.

The audible click of a newly loaded gun caught Roxas's ears and he turned, ready to face the next fight.

* * *

Sora smiled as he watched Kairi dance- her eyes had shut and she let her body take over, still conscious of where the mirrors against the walls were in relation to her. Kairi spun, she jumped, she did whatever her legs and arms wanted; a tension that had worked its way into her muscles over the past few days slowly unwinding with each step. She had kicked off her shoes after Sora had snuck over to her stereo and turned on the first song, and now she slid on bare feet, slipping across the surface of the floor with grace, her shadow long against the light of the room.

Sora had hunkered down beside her stereo, switching the songs whenever he felt the need to and making Kairi dance to the most obscure music he could think of. He laughed as he changed songs again and Kairi whirled on him, sending a glare that was purely just for show his way.

She opened her mouth to say something when the door to the room swung open; smacking the wall with such force she nearly jumped. Sora was on his feet in an instant, turning off the music and crossing the room as Riku and Naminé nearly fell over each other in their haste to find their friends.

Kairi titled her head, "Everything okay?"

Naminé tangled her fingers with Riku's as they skidded to a halt, her voice was breathless, "Roxas is gone."

Sora put an arm around Kairi's shoulders, "What do you mean? He just left?"

Riku shook his head, "Naminé says Zexion lured him away."

"So it's a trap." Kairi sighed, "There's never just a normal day around here, is there?" she glanced longingly at her stereo.

Sora smiled at her, "You can dance when we get back." He looked back at Naminé and Riku, "Come on, we have to go tell the others."

* * *

Roxas was told he didn't have a heart, the words beaten into his skull from the moment of creation until now, when he faced the other Nobodies.

But he'd gotten to thinking.

He was sad, he was angry- blood was rushing through his veins and _something _was beating in his chest, a thud in his ears, his skin on fire. Kurix's face plagued his subconscious and he was always dreaming about him, and when he was shaken awake by the thunder of nightmares something spread like a disease through his chest, embracing him.

Roxas had come to the conclusion that, although he wasn't ever meant to exist, and although he had been built with the intention of never having a heart…

Whatever he _had_ held inside of him had broken.

The walls were destroyed, in Castle Oblivion, Xaldin's spears stuck into them like decorating, Lexeaus breaking through room after room to keep up with Roxas. Xemnas had even joined the fight now, and though Roxas was growing tired, his shattered fake heart said to keep going, keep moving.

And so he did.

* * *

"_And we are caught in the fire, the point of no return, so we will walk through the fire, and let it _**burn**_**.**__"_

* * *

King Mickey's eyes had lost a certain shine to them when Naminé relayed her story to him, blushing in embarrassment that she couldn't save him herself, couldn't stop him in time. The King had fallen silent after she was done, clasping his hands in front of himself and staring at them as if they held the answer. Ansem was seated beside him, both of them having taken refuge in the Dining Hall.

When Mickey finally spoke, his face was grave, "We'll go, we have to, but everyone be on your guard. We don't know what they're planning."

Ansem nodded, "Roxas could already be defeated."

Mickey cast a glance at him before going on, "Even so, Roxas is our friend, and he needs our help." Pushing himself up and hopping from his seat to the floor, Mickey looked up at Sora and Kairi, "Go tell Vincent and Cid to get ready; they should be with Cloud, Tifa and Leon in the garden. Everyone's coming."

Sora nodded, "Gotcha." He grabbed Kairi's hand and spun towards the door.

As they ran out, Riku looked to The King for further instructions, "What do you want us to do, Your Majesty?"

Mickey glanced at Naminé, "Get as many potions as you can carry. We're gonna need 'em!" Riku nodded in understanding and Mickey turned back to Ansem, "Come on, we have to find a place that's safe enough for you."

Ansem laughed and stood, "For me?"

Mickey smiled, "You might be free now, but you _were_ their prisoner, and we can't take any chances." He motioned for his new friend to follow him and walked passed the dark portal Riku had drawn up, ushering Naminé inside. "I know just the place, too."

* * *

"What are we up against?" Leon swung his new gunblade in the air, the flat of the blade coming to rest on his shoulder.

Sora shrugged, "Zexion, if Roxas didn't kill him already. Xemnas, Saїx, Lexeaus….Xaldin, Xigbar…" He tallied them off on his fingers, "Everyone's going to fight."

Kairi gave a reassuring smile, "Hope you've gotten used to your weapons by now."

Cloud looked down at the sword in his hands. Sunlight bounced off the surface of the blade, the sword in its entirety looking just like any weapon one would expect a knight to carry. Twisted black grip in the shape of a spiral, dirty bronze guard that curved up and away from his hand, silver pommel. Honestly, his first few swings had felt like he was playing some kindergarten role playing game, but after he'd blocked a few of Leon's attacks and made a few of his own the weapon had grown on him. Watching Tifa fight off Cid and Vincent by herself had been amusing, and slightly terrifying to know that that was _his_ girlfriend, but at the same time it almost felt like everything was right- they were doing something they were meant to. He'd never been a very violent person, but once he and Leon and Tifa had gotten into an all out war with each other, not only was it fun but it gave this feeling of power he enjoyed, something that made him feel like he could take on anything.

Realizing that the group he was with had started walking with Sora and Kairi back towards wherever The King would be, Cloud swung the sword up and around his hand, resting on his shoulder the way Leon had done. Beside him, Tifa smiled, "Think we're ready?"

He wasn't surprised when he saw no fear in her eyes, only concern. He cracked the smallest of crooked smiles, "We'll be fine."

* * *

As Naminé piled potions into Riku's waiting arms she said, "Do you think…everything will be okay?" she paused for a moment, meeting his eyes.

"I won't let them hurt you, Naminé." With the hardened look in his eyes as he said it, Naminé didn't doubt he was telling the truth.

Shaking her head, she said quietly, "That wasn't what I meant." She turned back to the open drawer of potions and grabbed a few bottles by their necks, stacking them neatly against the others in Riku's arms.

"You don't have to worry about your Darkness, either."

Naminé huffed, her arms flopping out in an exasperated gesture, two more bottles in each hand. "I'm not worried about _me_, I'm worried about _you_." Turning back to him, she caught the amusement that flickered across his face and she rolled her eyes, "_What?_"

Shaking his head, Riku said, "I just find it funny that even though I have years of fighting under my belt, you're worried about me, not yourself." Naminé tilted her head and he went on, "You only killed Sephiroth because you thought he'd killed _me_, and I think that unless I happen to get hurt, you aren't going to be as safe as you think you are- on your end, anyway."

Naminé crossed her arms and leaned in, "Oh? Because I can't defend myself or do any kind of damage unless _you're_ on the line? I can handle myself."

"And I can't?" Riku leaned in too, careful not to shift the bottles in his arms, he pressed his nose to hers, "I appreciate it, Naminé. And I'll be fine, I promise."

They held their gaze that way for a few moments before Naminé responded simply, "I'm going to draw you later."

He smirked, "Make sure to get my good side."

A wicked grin crossed her face and Naminé said, "Oh, I will. You just have to bend over."

"Oh really, now? I'm hurt." He pulled away, shaking his head, "What a mean girlfriend I have."

Naminé tossed the rest of the bottles she held into his arms before she reached up, pressed both of her palms to his cheeks and pulled him in, smashing their lips together in a sudden kiss that left Riku working overtime trying not to drop anything. He kissed her cheek when she pulled away and dropped her hands, "What was that for?"

Smiling again, this time a little more serene, Naminé said, "I'll draw _this._" She tapped his cheek and her smile turned to a grin, "And if you get killed I'm dragging your butt back down here."

Smirking again too, Riku followed her out the door, replying, "Why don't I doubt you on that?"

* * *

"_All is lost again, but I'm not giving in. I will not bow, I will not break, I will shut the world away. I will not fall, I will not fade, I will take your breath away."_

* * *

Shoved against the wall, Roxas recognized dirty fighting when he saw it. Moments before, Xigbar had appeared behind him, dropping his guns to grab Roxas by his shoulders and swing him back, flinging him face first into the wall. Roxas had dismissed his Keyblade for the sole purpose of catching himself before he fell into the bricks. As he flipped around, back to the wall, two arms sprouted from a newly made portal behind him and trapped him around his upper arms.

Struggling against the iron grip, Roxas realized it had to be Xigbar, again, that was holding him back. The Free Shooter had yet to grab his guns from the floor, and although Roxas summoned his weapon again he could hardly use it.

Glancing up, Roxas felt that strange beating in his chest falter at the sight of both Saїx and Lexeaus rushing towards him, weapons raised.

* * *

"_You're not alone, together we stand. I'll be by your side; you know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold and it feels like the end, there's no place to go you know I won't give in. No, I won't give in."_

* * *

By the time the entire group had gathered, Mickey still wasn't back from taking Ansem wherever he had decided to go.

Wringing her hands together, Kairi bit her lip and looked to Sora for a little comfort, "We can do this…Right?"

The smile Sora gave her was enough to voice his opinion, but he said anyway, "Of course! We'll be all right, Kairi, promise." He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in; Kairi buried her face against his neck.

"I'm worried." She put her arms around him, "What if it's too much for us?"

"That's what the potions are for." Sora had fit his arms around her too, and now his voice was muffled against her hair, "I won't let them hurt you, Kairi."

* * *

Roxas really hadn't thought it would work- but he wasn't about to question it.

After the first few seconds of shock had cleared when he saw Saїx and Lexeaus rushing him, Roxas had done two things. The first was to summon his Keyblade again, upside-down and the flat end facing the two Nobodies coming at him. The second was to nearly dislocate his shoulder when he slammed said Keyblade into the churning portal of Darkness behind him, hearing the surprised '_oof!_' that escaped Xigbar's lips when the blunt side of the weapon jammed itself into his ribs. Xigbar's first reaction was to let go, the portal smacking shut as he doubled over and lost his concentration.

With his body freed, Roxas had taken a few steps forward, turned to face the wall, and ran up the side of it. He felt gravity weighing him down and he knew it wouldn't last long, but all he needed was a bit of leverage, a few feet up, before he kicked off the wall and landed a heel on Saїx's shoulder, then jumping off of him to somersault over Lexeaus- dragging his Keyblade across the Nobody's chest in the process.

The wound wasn't deep, but it certainly took Lexeaus's breath away for a moment. When Roxas landed on his feet, he turned to take on Saїx but was caught off guard when he saw the Luna Diviner had already recovered. Roxas had ducked the first swipe, feeling the razor edges of that massive sword sheer off a part of his coat, and then rolled to the side to keep from getting hit again. Looking up, Roxas found Saїx's eyes burned yellow, his face contorted into false rage and the edges of his weapon glowing a white so pure he hardly believed that any Nobody could conjure the power.

Roxas kicked off the ground again and jumped back to dodge one swipe from Saїx, heard footsteps behind himself and turned just in time to spin away from Xemnas, another slash to his coat forming as the very ends of Xemnas's weapons met him.

Righting himself up enough to take in his whole situation, Roxas flipped his Keyblade around and charged back into battle.

* * *

"Ansem, I'm sure you've met my pals Donald and Goofy." Mickey held his hand out towards his two friends, "Goofy here is Captain of the Royal Knights, and Donald is our Court Magician, right fellas?"

Goofy put his hands over his mouth, "Aw, shucks, Your Majesty."

Donald, on the other hand, puffed his chest out, "What can we help you with, Your Highness?"

Mickey smiled, "We're goin' in to battle, and I was hoping you two wouldn't mind keeping my friend Ansem, here, safe."

Goofy nodded, brought his hand to his head in salute, "Of course!"

Ansem smiled, "Thank you." He turned to Mickey and held out his hand, "Good luck, my friend."

The King nodded and shook Ansem's hand before turning away, "See ya when the fights over!"

* * *

Between Saїx and Xemnas, Roxas found his head spinning. When Xemnas was drawing back, Saїx was going in, and it wasn't like either of them seemed to be tiring out. Roxas had done a decent job luring them away from Lexeaus, Xaldin and Xigbar for the moment, but keeping up with them was hard. If he wasn't blocking, he was running, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep even _that_ up. His legs were numb and his shoulders shook but he knew—

Running down the hall, Roxas felt a pang in his chest as he passed Kurix's old room. A new surge of energy fumbled through him and he turned sharply half way down the hall, swinging his Keyblade from the right to the left in an arc, a trail of white power behind it. Xemnas and Saїx both ducked and slid on their sides down the hall, Roxas kept running back the way they had come.

A spear whizzed past him as he reentered their original battle field, the place he'd first run into, and Roxas snatched it out of the air and tossed it back. Xaldin side stepped it and floated towards him, his feet off the ground and hair whipping about him in the wind he'd created. Three lances danced on either side of him, sifting through the air in wait of the next attack.

When the attack finally came, Roxas found his response automatic. Two came in from above and he swatted them out of the air, paying no attention when his Keyblade flashed into that brilliant black weapon again, much like it had done when he'd first fought Sora. He blocked the next that came from the left, dodged one from the right and fell flat on his back when a fifth swept his legs out from under him. He rolled to the side as the last proceeded to stab at the ground, and as he felt the wind pick up he reached out and grabbed one of the spears, letting it bring him to a very surprised looking Xaldin. Roxas pressed his legs together and locked his knees, swinging his legs up to slam his feet into Xaldin's face. The Whirlwind Lancer fell back, the wind dying down, and Roxas landed easily on his feet.

A roar of outrage notified him of Lexeaus's presence in the room, and Roxas readied himself again.

* * *

"Everyone has at least one potion, right?" Sora glanced around, shoving two bottles into one of the baggier pockets on the side of his pants. Everyone either voiced their agreement or nodded, and after a moment of meeting the eyes of each fighter there, he smiled, "Let's go."

Riku raised his hand and a portal sprouted into existence, the low warp of air accompanying it. The group seemed to stare into the cold colors of the dark before Mickey spoke up, "All right, let's get movin'."

The King led the group, followed closely by Sora and Kairi, Riku and Naminé, then Cloud and Tifa. Leon and Vincent and Cid brought up the back and the portal slid shut behind them, the only proof they'd been there the soft indentations of feet in the grass.

When the entire group stumbled out of the portal, the sight that met their eyes was gruesome- and inspiring.

* * *

Roxas landed on one leg first, his knee bending and giving way to the force of his last attack, and the other leg followed, sending him into a crouch. His Keyblade seemed to be stuck permanently in a shadow of black, Oblivion twitching purple streaks in his right hand, which was held out before him. When he pushed himself up the tears in his coat were visible, his left sleeve completely gone, a huge hole around the right side of his chest and strips torn off the bottom. His lip was cracked, his left arm covered in scratches and deep cuts, and there was a bruise under his right eye. Dust marked his skin and his eyes were all the more blue because of it.

Behind him, Lexeaus stumbled and fell back against the wall, Xaldin was holding his face in pain and Xigbar was loading his guns.

Roxas's face broke into a smirk and he met Sora's eyes, "Took you long enough to get here."

* * *

"_Days go on forever, but I have not left your side. We can chase the dark together, if you go, then so will I."_

* * *

…

_8D~!_

_I happen to love this chapter. See why it took so long? xD probably the longest one yet. _

_Here's the songs used, in order of appearance;_

_Downfall- Matchbox Twenty_

_21 Guns- Greenday_

_Walk Through the Fire- Buffy the Vampire Slayer_

_I Will Not Bow- Breaking Benjamin_

_Keep Holdin' On- Avril Lavigne_

_Anthem of the Angels- Breaking Benjamin_

_I have no claim to any of the lyrics. But I do happen to love them~_

_Hope you liked it, next chapter will be up soon~_

_Leave a review on your way out :D_


	28. GunsSwordsDanceWar

_The only excuse I can give for this being so so late is that I had personal shiz to deal with- but we're cool. Everything's getting taken care of, and school is started and good so I'm a senior now :'D_

_I already scared a few freshmen xDDD_

_Anyways, since it was so long in the making I reread it over and over again, made my friends do the same and made it incredibly long. _

_So, it's good to go. Simply enjoy and I'll have the very last chapter up sometime soon, within two weeks for sure._

_Hope I don't confuse anyone xD;_

_Enjoy~!_

_**

* * *

**_

Darkness or Dawn

_GunsSwordsDanceWar_

_Chaos._

Sora rolled to the left to avoid a spray of violet metal diamonds Xigbar shot his way, bringing his Keyblade up on its side to deflect the strays. As he rolled into Kairi and Tifa's range of battle, the two women back flipped over him, Kairi twirling as she landed on her hands and swinging a leg out to crack Xigbar across the jaw. As he stumbled back Kairi righted herself and turned back to her previous fight, spinning a Chakram with her fingers and sheering a spear out of the air, the wood pieces clattering to the floor. Tifa knocked another out of the air as she dodged them, growing frustrated as Xaldin's wind whipped her hair into her eyes and she couldn't land a hit.

Having jumped to his feet the moment after Kairi landed her kick to Xigbar's face, Sora twirled Oathkeeper in one hand and lunged, coming in so fast Xigbar nearly lost balance and teleported back a few feet, firing off a few more rounds that landed just a bare inch scarce of Sora's feet as he ran in a zigzag and jumped at the last second, twisting in the air and smacking one of Xigbar's guns from his hands, the strange looking weapon landing a heap on the floor, a few unloaded rounds knocking from their rightful places. Cursing, Xigbar ducked out of the way of Sora's next attack and faked to the left. As Sora swung, he skirted around the opposite way and rolled as he grabbed his gun, teleported away again and came out upside down, his hair hanging and swaying lightly as he took to teleporting farther and farther back.

_Fight. _

Roxas could only dismiss his weapon and put his arms over his head, the only kind of shield he might have, the only protection he could really get at this point. Lexeaus's grip around his right ankle tightened and Roxas felt his foot go numb; he slammed his eyes shut and curled in as much as he could as Lexeaus swung, the wind raking through his hair at damn near terrifying speeds. He pressed his elbows together and screamed, out of fright than anything else, when he felt the smooth surface of the wall brush against his hair as he was spun passed. The air had gone from unbearable heat to freezing, being spun around like a twig; Roxas ducked his neck down if only to keep from-

-_Leon pulled the trigger_-

-Lexeaus screamed in outrage and Roxas was sent hurtling to the ground, rolling at an alarming pace as Lexeaus drew his now injured and smoking arm into himself, his eyes turned to the Gunblade wielding man and he picked his earth shattering tomahawk from the ground, drawing it up over his shoulder. Glaring solely at Leon, his form glowed orange and as he screamed again, ready to cave in the floor, Vincent spun around him, a mass of red and glinting metal and fired off a few rounds, landing one to Lexeaus's hand and causing the Nobody to drop his weapon. Lexeaus swatted at Vincent but missed, his face contorting into one of pain before he fell to his knees, huffing. Vincent landed somewhere in the fray of battle, reloading as he did, and started helping Cid dismantle the lesser Nobodies Xemnas had taken to summoning.

_Fear._

Cloud ducked a rabid swing and brought his sword up just in time to block another, the spikes from Saїx's weapon glistening with a red smear of blood so thin he could hardly see it even though the sword had gotten so close to his face. He braced the flat of his sword with his hand and shoved, Saїx took a step back, the Claymore over his head as he regained his footing and hold. There was a flash of gray and black and then Saїx was stumbling, one arm pin-wheeling, the weight of his weapon throwing him off balance- he crashed to the floor, landing flat on his face. Riku smirked, nodded to Cloud, and then the two threw themselves at him, knowing they had to take the chances they were given.

Naminé had watched from the corner of her eye as Riku shouldered Saїx to the ground and she smiled despite her already tired limbs. Cid was fighting beside her, sweeping lesser Nobodies back and forth with the red staff he carried, although he was also looking a little tired, his cheeks rosy and brow furrowed. Sweat lined the collar of his shirt and Naminé stepped in beside him, tossing a smile at him which he only nodded at. As Dusks slipped around his attacks and tangled around his feet, Naminé speared them and cut them in two. She kept her attacks light, not throwing her entire being into killing them just yet. Brushing hair from her face, she glanced at Kairi and Tifa, still having difficulty getting an attack in with Xaldin. The two were nearly tripping over each other, between their vision being blurred by their hair and the wind, and the spears- they weren't getting hurt so much as being clumsy, which Naminé knew neither of them was. Cid cursed and Naminé turned her attention back to her end of the fight.

_Rage._

Xemnas spun with both of his energy swords out, a red jet set of power leaking behind each, a wake in the rip they made in the air. King Mickey did a fast back flip, landed and ran at the leader, Keyblade pulled out to the side and held backwards in his hand, the flat side to his arm as he jumped and caught one attack, red flickers of energy dancing up and down the end of his Keyblade. Their eyes locked in that one small moment and everything seemed to slow; large, usually kind eyes met falsely enraged orange and Mickey wondered what it was that was truly driving the Nobody. The thought left him as the moment broke and Xemnas brought the other sword around, knocking The King out of the air. He caught himself fast though and somersaulted through the air, skidding to a halt on his feet in a crouch. He narrowed his eyes, brought his Keyblade in front of himself and ran at Xemnas again, ready this time.

Sora's feet were light on the ground as _he _was suddenly the one being driven back; smacking any bullet he could out of the air, the sound of them tinkering against the floor was music to his ears. Grimacing as he saw Kairi didn't appear to be doing much better, he tried to reach for a potion in his pocket, bleeding from numerous aching cuts on his legs, a few on his ribs and one deeper gash in his left shoulder, Sora fumbled with the strap on his pocket and gasped when a stray bullet sliced open his knuckle. Looking up, he twirled his Keyblade faster and smacked more out of the air but felt himself weakening. The smirk on Xigbar's face as Sora tripped over his own feet was enough to flare the anger Sora had felt from the start of the battle. As he rolled to his feet Sora caught sight of Naminé, Cid and Vincent not far off, and he let out a small sigh of relief before he jumped back, cursing under his breath when Xigbar got another hit to his foot, grazing the side.

Shaking his head, Sora faked another step back before lunging, his Keyblade a blur of light around him as he spun it, twirled the way he'd watched Kairi with her weapons. Xigbar, shocked that Sora had been so bold in his next attack, fired another round, most of which were sent back his way and buried themselves into his arms, one grazing his cheek. Xigbar let out a cry of pain and fell from his upside down perch in the air, gravity slamming him into the floor. He got to his feet in good time but skittered back as Sora's Keyblade carved its way through the air again, coming just short of his face, Xigbar brought his arm up to block it and his gun was knocked from his hand for the second time that day. He faked to his right this time, but Sora was ready and he brought Oathkeeper up in a sweep so hard the breath was knocked from Xigbar's lungs as he was sent off his feet and into the air-

-_Sora cupped a hand over his mouth and shouted, "Cid, think fast!"-_

-and back to the earth as Cid smacked him out of the air with a flick of his wrist and some extra body weight thrown in, a crack reverberating through his chest telling him he broke a rib or two on impact. Sora let out a cheer of victory and gave Cid a thumbs up, the older man only shook his head again and took a few steps back from Xigbar as he started to stand again, clearly shaken. He raised his one good eye to meet Sora's, Sora popped a potion open and chugged it, feeling energy spread through his chest and his legs start to twitch in anticipation, Sora threw himself full force into the fray, aimed directly at Xigbar.

_Wind._

Kairi ducked a split second before Tifa, her hair tangled and ruffled over her eyes; all she could see was red. Tifa had managed to hold her own hair back with one hand, but it was slowing them down and left her only one free hand to defend herself. Kairi was being as careful as she could with her Chakrams, trying not slice Tifa into thirds with a wrong move- Kairi swung up as a familiar glint caught her eye and although she didn't cut the spear in half, it _was_ smacked to the ground. Tifa took the opening and ran forward, leaping over a spear that had aimed itself at her. She let go of her hair and kicked hard with her right leg, landing a hit to Xaldin's side, turned and kicked with her other leg and caught him across the cheek as he doubled over. For a moment the wind settled down and Kairi pushed her hair from her face, running in full speed with her Chakrams twirling around her fingers like buzz saws. As Tifa swept in low and knocked Xaldin's feet out from under him, Kairi dove with her arms straight and her weapons a blur of pink and black. She sheered a piece of Xaldin's arm as he rolled away, he jumped up and brought the wind roaring back into life with five of his lances up, angled defensively around himself- Kairi cut in an arc up and caught one of the heads of the lances, another on her right, but Xaldin simply flipped them over and stabbed at her with the other ends.

Shuffling back, Kairi panted as the wind settled for a moment, Xaldin hovering in the air with his arms crossed, a dead look in his eyes, he stared at them and met Kairi's eyes for the briefest of moments before the wind gusted from somewhere behind him, whipping his own hair around his face and throwing both girls back. Kairi screamed when she landed on her side, breath knocked from her; Tifa had managed to catch herself with her hand and get back to her feet, although her legs trembled. Huffing and blowing hair out of her face, Kairi pushed herself back up as Xaldin made his way over to them.

-_Naminé glanced up from her battle and watched her sister fly through the air, land painfully on her side and her face twist into a grimace as she screamed. She stepped back from her fight, Vincent sweeping in to cover her, and screamed, "Kairi-"_

"-_dance_!" Kairi looked up at the sound of her sister's voice, finding her pale face among the gray and white colored Dusks that swayed around her. Naminé was swept back into the fight as Vincent was forced to step back, she turned and caught a Dusk aiming at her out of the air and slammed it back to the earth, looking up to give her sister a smile.

An idea came to mind and Kairi grinned.

_Win._

Saїx's sword was dragging along the floor in between his attacks, the metal sparking against the ground as he dodged and was steadily driven back towards the wall. He glanced over his shoulder at his Superior, still fighting the persistent King and not doing any better than himself, he turned back to the two warriors he faced and brought his sword up just in time to block Cloud's attack, shoving back as Cloud had done earlier. Cloud's weapon was thrown from his grip and he rolled to his side to avoid being sliced in two as Saїx brought his sword screaming back into the floor, burying itself up to the spikes. Cloud looked up as he wrapped his hands around the hilt of his sword, watching for a moment before he tossed himself back into the three person fight.

Riku's Keyblade whirred around him so fast smears of color inked the air, slicing through sheets of oxygen and letting loose splashes of darkness and light, he blocked attack after attack with this kind of anger in his eyes that Cloud could only wonder how it had been put there, and as Riku knocked Saїx back and spun, slamming his Keyblade into the ground and black fire spreading like fingers from the tip of it, catching Saїx's coat and causing the Nobody to screech and stumble back again- he realized he really didn't want to know. With a small smirk, Cloud flipped his sword around himself and lunged.

_Jump._

Leon hadn't been able to learn how to jump five feet in the air like Sora, he didn't know how to bend Darkness or bleach the Light, but he knew how to dodge, he knew how to hit, and most importantly-

_Lexeaus stumbled back with his hands covering his face, a muffled scream of surprise laced with pain erupting from behind them, Leon's arms trembled with the force of the vibrations Revolver had let loose- _

-how to pull the trigger at the right time. Roxas grinned beside him, his body renewed by the potion he'd snuck in while Leon had been covering him, his legs quivering with new strength and energy. Leon stood for a moment, wiping blood from his lip along his arm, he watched Roxas start in at a run and jump a few feet from Lexeaus, bringing is Keyblade around himself as he flew and ricocheted off the wall, flipping over the Silent Hero's shoulders and slicing up his back as he landed, whipping the fake weapon around his body as Sora had done to Xigbar not moments before. Lexeaus stumbled towards Leon, ripping his hands from his face and snatching up his weapon, Leon took a few quick steps back, managed to successfully block one swipe and roll around Lexeaus without getting hit. The fury Lexeaus seemed to be experiencing was prominent in his eyes, the whites bloodshot and wide.

When Lexeaus swung again, Leon took a chance and dove in under the attack; the weapon so close he swore he felt it graze his back if only a little, the rush of air that came forward tousling his hair. He drew his sword back and slung it forward fast, cutting a deep gash into Lexeaus's leg, the Nobody grunted and nearly toppled over, instead coming in with another lower sweep that would have sliced Leon in two if Roxas hadn't jumped again, using the weapon as leverage as he slung his Keyblade out and let it circle freely through the battle ridden air. Lexeaus's head snapped to the side as the edge of the Keyblade clipped his cheek and ear, drawing his weapon wielding arm up in process. Leon shuffled back and as Roxas landed Lexeaus stumbled and caught himself on the wall, holding his already half destroyed face, his left eye swelling shut and his jaw burnt and torn from Leon's aim- Roxas threw a grin over his shoulder, clearly enjoying himself as he lunged for his weapon,

"_Nice_ hit!"

_See._

Kairi was lucky Tifa had been hovering by her side when Xaldin came back their way, the martial artist had grabbed her shoulders and hauled her back when a set of spears were thrown in her direction. Again, blinded by a mix of the hair obscuring her vision and the Dusks that had taken to swarming their area, Kairi would have been run through until she felt Tifa's hands on her shoulders, yanking her back so hard both fell. Kairi gave a shaky smile and pushed herself up just in time to slice another spear in half and she growled in frustration when both halves picked themselves back up and were flung in her direction. She spun out of the way, Tifa snatched one out of the air as she jumped to her feet and smacked another coming her way.

It took her a moment to get to Tifa, but when she did Kairi had to yell over the winds as they dodged and were again being driven back.

"_Tifa!_"

Tifa glanced back, struggling to pull her hair out of her face as she stumbled, "_What?"_

Kairi grinned, "_Stand back, when you get the chance, go for it!"_ Kairi could hardly hear her own voice over the roar of the winds. Xaldin seemed to be enjoying himself, creating a vortex around them that swept up Dusks but kept their friends from getting in. She waited for Tifa's nod of approval.

Locking her eyes on the dark figure she could only assume was Xaldin floating a few feet in the air, Kairi took a few steps back herself, glancing at Tifa to see the martial artist had managed to get her hair back and was standing so close to the wall of wind her feet were slipping against the floor.

Twirling her Chakrams with practiced fingers, Kairi remembered the fight with Ansem in her dance room. She remembered what she had done to kill him, and she doubted she could summon that kind of power at will, but she could try. She remembered Naminé's advice minutes before and she smiled. She remembered Sora's words to her before they had left to find The King (_"You can dance when we get back."_) and she said softly to herself,

"_I think I'd like to dance now."_

She took off as fast as the wind blowing against her would allow, drawing both arms back before she pirouetted , kicked off of a spear that came her way and threw herself into the air. Slicing spears as she went, Kairi didn't feel that Light she'd been hoping to feel, her arms working quickly around herself, elbows bent and wrists flicking back and forth, pink and black blurs around her as one spear was cut into thirds, another in half. She knew, as she found herself nearing Xaldin, that she wouldn't hit him, but that didn't mean she could scare him into thinking he wouldn't be hit.

As Kairi flew over Xaldin's shoulder, her heel grazing his coat, she straightened her other leg, aiming for his face and missing by a bare inch, and twirled like she used to in dance class, spinning on one leg in the air with her arms low. Xaldin jerked to the side and as he did Kairi let go of her Chakrams, the wind picking them up as they left her grip. They flew past Xaldin, spinning wickedly and he fell the extra few feet, losing his focus as they scraped past his nose and he pulled back again. As soon as his feet touched the floor the wind died significantly- and Tifa sunk her fist so far into his stomach blood sprayed the ground.

Kairi smiled when she felt a set of arms pluck her out the air, pull her close and throw her back into the fray. As she danced her way back, sashaying to her battle, she glanced back at Sora and sent him a grin.

Tifa blocked a halfhearted swing from her right and kicked with her left leg, then her right, and then her left again- she wouldn't give him another chance to get that wind started. As her heel connected with Xaldin's chest he lost his balance, his face scrunched in pain and eyes squeezing shut, readying himself for impact.

As Kairi danced through the crowd, dropping low to snatch up her weapons and twirl them around herself once, she caught a glimpse of Tifa, moving so she could kneel over the Whirlwind Lancer, her fists one continuous hit, not stopping for a second and blood smearing her knuckles, Kairi sped up her pace so she could help finish the fight.

_Lose._

Ducking a swipe that would've surely sent him to the hospital, Riku dropped to the floor and rolled, popping back up behind Saїx. The Nobody turned, raised his arms high again, the sharpest edges of his sword glowing white, smoking as though on fire. Cloud, still on the other side of Saїx, swung his sword and caught it on one of the spikes of Saїx's, pushing down with as much strength as he could muster. Saїx was tugged back and forced to turn to keep his balance. He brought enraged eyes up to meet Cloud's, and Cloud only stepped back, taking his sword with him.

Saїx seemed confused for a moment, grabbed for his sword and stumbled, closing his eyes as a light gasp left his lips.

Riku smirked, "How do _you_ like it?" the amusement in his eyes turned to anger, hatred even, and Riku shoved Way to the Dawn further between Saїx's shoulder blades, the other end of it coming out bloody, darkened. When he ripped it back out there was a sizable hole where a part of Saїx's spine used to be, and the blue haired Nobody barely managed a cough before falling, red on his lips and dribbling down his chin.

Riku flicked his Keyblade behind himself, whipping the Nobody's remains from his blade and onto the floor. "Go help Leon and Roxas."

Cloud nodded, turned- it didn't take him long to find them.

Leon held the Gunblade with both hands, gripping it so hard he felt the blood leaving his fingers, pins and needles up his arms. Behind him, Roxas was attempting to stand, a long gash tracing up his thigh, Roxas met Cloud's eyes from across the field, dirt caked on his skin and his hair even more of a mess than usual. Leon wasn't about to leave a fallen teammate to take the heat for himself, and Cloud had to be fast.

Lexeaus brought his tomahawk down with a scream of would-be victory, just as Cloud picked up his speed and angled his sword like a jousting lance, at shoulder height and straight, his arms locking. He stuck Lexeaus at his lower back, not hard enough to drive it all the way through the Nobody's huge figure, but enough to make him drop the tomahawk and his victory turn to pain. Both Lexeaus and his weapon fell forward and Leon jumped back, still covering Roxas. The sweep of dust and debris was enough to make him cough and cover his eyes, only looking up a moment later as Cloud snatched his sword back and ran to his friend's side.

"Funny seeing you here."

Leon rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching up in relief. He reached into his pocket for a potion and tossed it to Roxas, "Thanks, Cloud."

They brought their attention back to the fight at hand when Lexeaus let out a low grunt of pain, his hand already on his weapon, he struggled to his feet. "You're _vermin_." His breath came out in harsh gusts of air, "You will _not_ win."

"Looks like we are." Leon readied himself for another attack but faltered when a mass of blond and black ran past him, "Roxas, no!"

Roxas flew, his tattered coat around him, hanging off his shoulders now and dancing around his feet, his Keyblade dull with dust and maroon splotches, he drew his weapon wielding arm back just as Lexeaus screamed in outrage and flung his tomahawk up. For once in the battle, Lexeaus was faster, his body glowing that ferocious looking orange power from earlier on, the energy encasing his weapon spread as it slammed into Roxas's gut. Roxas tightened his grip on his Keyblade, still swinging, but missed as he was thrown backwards, a streak of orange in the air checking his progress before he was knocked into the wall behind them. Blood had already coated his lips and teeth, he coughed and fell to his knees- as he did the bricks in the wall crumbled and fell, effectively knocking him out and pinning him down.

Cloud glanced at Leon and they looked back at Lexeaus. The Nobody repeated, "You will _not_ win!" and charged.

_Guns._

Sora let out a groan when his back slammed against the ground, his grip on his Keyblade loosening. He opened his eyes just enough to see a maelstrom of purple coming at him, and knowing he wouldn't be able to get up in time, he close his eyes and waited. His shoulder ached and his back was screaming at him, thanks to that last hit, he was pretty sure he'd managed to twist _something_ in his ankle when a Dusk had gotten in his way, tripping him. He had started to win before, Xigbar had been having trouble trying not to crash into people and lesser Nobodies when they'd gotten caught in the fray of the rest of the war being waged around them, but once Xigbar had made his way back to their section of the fight, where it was clearest, Sora had started to lose again.

Really, he was just getting tired of deflecting bullets, having gotten a few more sizable cuts during the fight, his arms were getting tired, his hands were torn to shreds and-

There was suddenly this sound, this tinkling kind of sound like when….

Sora opened his eyes, looking up to find Riku standing over him, one arm out, a shield of Darkness having formed in front of them. Riku tossed him a potion while managing to keep the shield up, "Hurry."

Downing the potion, Sora stood and nodded, and when Riku let the shield fall he ran, his grip on his Keyblade tight. The soles of his shoes slapped the floor, the muscles in his legs aching. Sora drew his Keyblade back over his shoulder, lunging, and swung as hard as he was able. The sharpest edge of the Keyblade sliced a line across Xigbar's face, deep, blood splashing the ground and skin hanging over skin. Xigbar screamed, stumbled back, his fingers tight over the triggers.

Riku cursed, followed Sora as the brunette stumbled after Xigbar, adrenaline pumping through his veins so much so that he didn't feel the first few bullets that cut into his arms, sheered his knees and grazed his stomach. Riku raised his hand again, darkness and light curling around his fingertips and bursting through the air- a fireball of dawn flying from his palm and smacking Xigbar square in the chest. When Sora fell to his knees, Riku stepped around him, meeting blue eyes for a brief moment, a second long calm in the chaos and disarray of their battle.

Growling, Riku watched Xigbar as he tripped over his own feet and came crashing back to the earth, spluttering blood and holding his cheek, his chest burning as he smacked at his ribs with his other hand. Turning his own Keyblade around in his hand, Riku walked, stopping beside the dying Nobody.

Xigbar's last living sight was one of the razor edge of Way to the Dawn, blurred in it's surety and precision, as it came towards his face.

_Swords._

Xemnas glared from across the field at Riku and Sora, taking his eyes from his battle for a moment to watch the death of his second in command. Something flared where his heart should have been, be it fear or anger or some kind of feeling, he couldn't tell and he never would. The sensation was ripped from him as King Mickey hurled his Keyblade, catching his shoulder, and Xemnas fell with a grunt as it ricocheted off him and back into its wielder's grasp. Down to his knees, Xemnas looked up through a curtain of gray, sweat soaked hair and lunged, feeling warm blood pool down his shoulder and back, entangling around where his heart should be, he stumbled to get up but when he did he managed to block The King's next attack, and the next after that.

Mickey was surprised, to say the least, as Xemnas stood and actually _blocked_ his attacks. He had been sure he was winning- he _was_ winning, but now Xemnas seemed to have-

_A mass of gray Dusks broke loose from the chaos long enough to swivel between their fight, Mickey's Keyblade accidentally coming into contact with them instead of Xemnas. He shuffled backwards, trying to avoid being swept up by them but failing when two wrapped around his legs and yanked him to the ground. _

-a plan, a course of action. Cursing as his Keyblade was torn from his grip, Mickey was flung in one direction, over Xemnas's head and across the battlefield. He flew through the air, a cry of warning tearing from his throat just before he collided with Sora.

They tumbled to the ground, Mickey effectively unconscious and Sora dazed, he blinked wide blue eyes, finally feeling the damage he'd taken from the battle with Xigbar. His blood had splashed the ground when he and Mickey hit the floor, and now his cheeks and lips were smeared with it- he'd live, but even just a potion wouldn't really give him the strength he needed to keep fighting.

Riku was by his side in a moment, snatching up The King and throwing him over his shoulder, he grabbed the back of Sora's shirt and tugged him towards the wall, where there weren't so many Nobodies. He could at least protect the both of them there, but he'd need help.

He called over the opposite shoulder, "_Naminé!"_

Glancing up from her own fight, Naminé saw Riku leaning Sora against the wall, obviously not heading into the fray of things anytime soon, and she grimaced when he laid Mickey next to him. She made her way over to Cid, "Think you can handle things for a while?"

Cid grunted, cheeks flushed, and a few feet away Vincent answered, "Go."

Nodding, Naminé turned and ran in Riku's direction, catching sight briefly of a mass of black and pink that would have to be her sister and Tifa, and Xaldin. She skidded to a halt next to Riku, grinning, "Need a hand?"

He rolled his eyes but she saw the smirk, "Stay close to them."

Nodding, she took her place beside him, ready to fight.

_Dance._

Kairi caught sight of Sora for the smallest of moments, eased against the wall and looking like he was about to pass out. Growling, she turned her full attention back to the fight at hand.

Tifa had done an amazing job keeping Xaldin on the ground- he was out of it, having been hit more than enough times in his face, he had two swelling black eyes and completely busted jaw, not to mention a broken and bloody nose. He'd only managed to get away from her when a Dusk had tangled around her arms, earning her a long gash up her forearm, she'd had no choice but to get away. Xaldin didn't have the strength to get the wind back up, and Kairi knew they were winning only by that factor. His eyes were half lidded and his movements slow and graceless.

Kairi was keeping her distance, letting Tifa do what she needed to to get him the way they wanted him- and then the opening came.

Xaldin lunged, his hand snagging nothing, Tifa sidestepped him, came around him and grabbed both of his arms. She pulled them back, crossed them- and then Kairi swept in with a low spin, closing her eyes to the gore that followed as she first sliced his gut and then neck. Darkness rather than blood boiled from the gashes made, corroding his already decaying skin. Tifa jumped, letting him go the second she saw the blackness seeping from him.

Kairi gave her weapons an extra twirl, as she turned from Tifa and searched the battlefield for her boyfriend again. She felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced at her friend, "Sora was hurt. Do you see him anywhere?"

Tifa shook her head, "I have to go help Cloud and Leon." She pointed; Kairi followed and found the two men desperately dodging attacks, and Roxas no where in sight.

"Go. I'll find Sora." Tifa nodded, patted her shoulder once for encouragement and ran into the battle again.

"_Kairi!" _

She raised her eyes to the source of the yell, finding her sister standing over Sora and The King, Riku at her side. Naminé's pale blond hair was easy to distinguish in a smattering of gray and white and red. Kairi wasted no time plowing through Nobodies to get to them, slicing shards of Nothingness until she came out on the other side of the battle. She took in the sight of Sora, blood soaked and aching, slipping out of consciousness, and skirted around Naminé, falling to her knees at his side.

Naminé put her hand on her shoulder but Kairi ignored it for the time being, focusing with all her energy on Sora. She cradled his bleeding face in her hands, smoothed back wrinkles of pain with her thumbs, and kissed his cracked lips with her softer ones.

Mostly unconscious, Sora couldn't be held accountable for the words he said, but what he did manage to mutter before slipping into a deep sleep was nothing short of the meaning of "perfect". His chest expanding with a shaken breath, and his eyes a pop of blue under red smudged skin Sora whispered one word as Kairi leaned in close to him, "_Dance."_

A fire burned in Kairi's chest. She'd never seen Sora this way- and she didn't like it one bit. The Light in her stirred, sparked, warped and wrapped itself around her Chakrams, a loving web of peace and destruction she'd wreak along the battlefield.

Once, twice, three times Tifa's foot slammed into Lexeaus's jaw, her hair trailing behind her in a streak of black so dark it put the shadows to shame, a sheen of sweat along her brow. She clenched her fists as they flew through the air, twisting herself with the force of her last kick. She saw the streak of blond that meant Cloud was rocketing towards her and she held out her arms, hands cupped together, and when he passed her by as she landed he kicked off her hands. Tifa threw him up into the air as hard as she could and Cloud didn't need wings to fly, then.

Bringing his sword around his right side, Cloud braced with both hands and swung, once, across Lexeaus's chest, another up and grazing his chin. A third, fourth and fifth as he crossed, from the right to the left to the right again. Lexeaus's blood was pooling on his hands, turning a dusty maroon that let them know their fight was almost over.

Then, as Cloud descended he mimicked Tifa's actions from before and launched Leon into the air. Bringing the Gunblade up, Leon waiting until the very last second, when the tip of his sword was pressing itself against Lexeaus's face, his skin bending to keep from being cut. Leon stared down the line of his sword, stared down into Lexeaus's widening eyes, his face reflecting on scuffed metal. A line of fire and heat traveled along its surface and Leon pulled the trigger.

The reaction was instant, Leon felt the gravity and force pulling him in his original direction slacken and shift, swatting him out of the air and hurtling him towards the ground. He turned in time, managing to land on his feet, stumble and catch himself on a hand with splayed fingers, his sword held loosely in the other hand. He sunk to the ground then, at the sound of his own heart still beating and the thunder that resounded when Lexeaus's fading body shattered like glass on the floor.

Standing up on shaking legs, he made his way over to Cloud, who was looking in Tifa's direction. She had pulled back the rubble around Roxas and cradled his head in her lap, brushing back dusty, sweat covered hair. In one sudden, jerky movement, Roxas let a breath fill his lungs and his eyes snapped open.

_War._

At that same moment, there was a flash of light so sharp and bright the lesser Nobodies fled, and those that stayed behind were simply gone.

Xemnas looked up from his place at the back of the room, which had been completely devoid of battle as he directed the lessers with orders on what to do and who to do it to. His eyes stung with the brilliance of the light and he put an arm over his face, shielding himself.

Kairi stood from her place beside Sora, Chakrams in hand. Her hair covered her eyes as her head was down, saying something gentle under her breath, something only Sora would hear, if he'd been awake. As Kairi moved around him, Naminé went to pull her back, knowing what she was looking for, but Riku stopped her. His eyes met hers and she understood, it was Kairi's fight now.

Walking to the center of the battlefield, Kairi twirled her Chakrams, droplets of light spraying from them like water- they were drenched, and she was only just beginning.

Xemnas summoned his own weapons again and drew back an arm, taking a few steady steps out into the line of fire before breaking into an all out sprint. When he reached Kairi he slashed from the left, then the right, and both attacks Kairi sprung away from, flipping back into a handspring and landing easily on her feet. Kairi dodged again another attack that would've broken her ribs and maybe punctured a lung; she pulled herself away from the fight and shuffled backwards, waiting. When Xemnas readied himself for another attack, in that brief moment it took for him to swing, Kairi lunged and spun around him, her hair whipping about her face as he dove away from her. He stumbled and caught himself, slashing down in a furious attempt to hurt her.

Kairi managed to bring her Chakrams up to block, catching his sword on the spikes of her weapon- she trembled at what happened next, unsure of what to do.

The light dripping from her two weapons stopped. It brightened and pulsed and instead of dripping, ribbons sewed themselves into the weave, the circles and spikes of her Chakrams, and engulfed it completely. Kairi saw Xemnas falter too, although for him it was realization then and there that he would not win- he was fighting a Princess of Heart.

The light shot up the four large spikes that made up Kairi's weapon, broadening and cocooning around them, lengthening. When the cover of light fell away from the first spike, the one primarily holding off Xemnas's attack, Kairi gasped- the pastel edges and intricacies of Oathkeeper protruded, a friendly greeting out of the Light. Next, just underneath it, was the curvature and precision that Way to the Dawn could only provide, and underneath it at the next spike, directly across from Oathkeeper, came shocking black and Goth, also known as Oblivion. Last, closest to her and now, she saw, hovering just over her heart, was flower edges, a bundle of warm, powerful colors such as the one her sister drew, a Keyblade Kairi recognized as her own.

The room was silent, the Light still pulsating within Kairi's new weapon and her face illuminated by that power.

She shoved up as hard as she could, knocking Xemnas's arm over his head. He slashed with the other but missed as she spun to her right, twirling on dancing feet, and she caught another attack, blocking it and throwing it back.

Growling, Xemnas slashed down with both weapons, orange energy soaking up the air in its wake. Kairi threw her weapon over her head, shoved back with as much power as she could muster and, as Xemnas was caught fumbling to regain balance, danced.

She kicked high with her left leg while spinning on her right, sheered her way across his chest as she brought herself back up to standing, then twirled again in a vicious circle that encased herself with a jet set of light and splashed red on the dirt and dust trodden floor. As Xemnas stumbled backwards she reached and grabbed his arm, stepping around him to fling him into the ground, landing on his stomach, and as she followed after him she threw her weapon over her head, clutching tight with her fingers and bringing it down in a gesture so strong she heard his spine sever as she did. Blood splashed the ground once more, and as shards of Xemnas broke and descended into the sky, remnants of who he never really was, Kairi stood.

The light around her weapon shifted, morphed and elongated and left her with a glittering golden Keyblade of flowers- blues and purples and reds and all those strong colors that reminded her of her sister. Xemnas was a fading pile of ash on the ground, a blotch of darkness soon to be gray, and Kairi grinned.

Looking up from a drapery of sweat coated red hair, Kairi grinned and met her sister's gaze- proudly.

_

* * *

_

So, after all that I was nervous on how to end this chapter, since it's all fight and whatnot. I apologize if it's confusing, but YOU try writing a 16 character fight and see what happens ;.;

_On the good side, I got BBS and am going to play the HELL out of it. _

_*Ahem* Next chapter is last, and I'll reveal my reason for killing those characters. _

_On a side note I've forgotten to mention for like two chapters- Cloud's sword is Zack's original sword from Crisis Core, not the massive "I can kill a building" sword, but the more modest, not brute strength one xD _

_Everyone, leave a review on your way out~_


End file.
